By Emily Talentino
Rotary Club Bocas del Toro
The President of Panama declared our province, Bocas del Toro, to be in a state of emergency in May 2025. This is the result of month-long strikes, which have caused Chikita Banana, the province’s largest employer, to close its operations and immediately terminate 5,000 local jobs. The impetus for the strikes are reforms in Social Security laws; the reality is that it is a buildup of many years of discontentment and growing inequality. Panama currently ranks as one of the most inequitable countries and has long been ranked one of the worst education systems in the world.
Rotary Clubs and other NGOs are needed to support our community in this time of dramatic transition and uncertainty. Fortunately, the Bocas del Toro RC and Give & Surf (www.giveandsurf.org) have been collaborating to offer free vocational training courses to young adults since 2024. B.E.S.T. (Bocas Educación de Servicio y Turismo) provides courses in tourism and hospitality as well as teaches critical skills such as resume writing and English. The demographic served is low income, indigenous adults ages 18 to 30; 70% of participants have been young women and almost a third are single mothers. In the first year, 73 students graduated from the program, 58% of which are currently employed. 100% of participants responded that the courses helped to prepare them for a job! We are applying for a global grant that will allow us to increase the number of courses offered in 2025 and 2026.
While one program will not solve our province’s economic emergency, it is one step in the right direction. Now is the time for us to all work together to educate our youth and invest in the economic and social well-being of our province so that we build a brighter, more prosperous future that equally benefits all of our community members.
