History of the Project
Our great grandmother, Clara Julia Rovira Saldana viuda de Munoz, passed away in September 2021. Chloe and Ben became Panamanian citizens in November 2021. Chloe and Ben decided to create an organization in order to reach out to their Panamanian roots, in honor of their great grandmother. Our great grandmother was born in the province of Chiriqui, Panama, on August 14, 1914. After speaking with our great aunt Dixiana, she recommended we reach out to the district in Chiriqui where our great grand mother was born, Dolega.
Dolega
The Dolega district was founded in 1848 and just celebrated its 173rd year. It is divided into eight small villages with a population of 25,000 people.
Dolega is a typical rural community in Chiriqui, home to working families with modest houses.
Through research, we have been able to reach out to community members in Dolega to be our on the ground ambassadors. We first saw a You Tube video that began our search for how we could help the community.
How we got started
We found an expat forum online and asked 3 questions:
1 - Whom could we reach out to the schools in Dolega to inquire about donations we can collect and bring to the school.
2 - Whom could we reach out to in medical facilities in Dolega to inquire about donations we can collect and bring?
3 - Are there needs for gently used clothing items to be donated?We received a response to our questions posed in the forum from an expat living in Dolega.
A very helpful gentleman, Steve Gibson, gave us the name of a local doctor whom we should reach out to for help. Through Steve, we connected with Rosina Aguerrie who works with Caja Segura Dolega. We were told by Steve that Rosina is involved heavily in community service in Dolega and Chiriqui. Rosina has been assisting us on the ground asking the schools what they are in need of for the students.
We have also been able to reach out to Jose Ignacio who works with el Municipal de Dolega through Facebook’s page, Mi Dolega. Jose is also assisting us in asking what needs are in the community. Jose is very involved in the community with projects we would like to build on.
Another ambassador that has helped guide us in the health care needs of the community of Dolega is Peo Jose Cascante Cona. Peo Jose works with la clinica de san miguel. He was helpful in letting us know that the community needs are in transportation, food and the schools. Within health care, the community clinics have needs for medications and medicinal health care materials, such as syringes.