Trip to Panama Helps Natives, Students

By: Sarah Monson

During Spring Break '09, students enrolled in the course Panama Beyond the Classroom put the accumulation of knowledge learned about the Central American country in class to good use. The group traveled south to volunteer in two organizations catering to the needs of at-risk and undernourished children and provided medical and educational supplies at two charity locations in Panama.

The group of upper level and first and second year students participated in course work for Major Works/Major Issues and Geographical Perspectives, respectively. The upper level students planned many aspects of the trip, and all students enrolled in the course were required to do research on topics pertinent to Panama.

Prior to traveling to Panama, the students raised $1,250 through the fundraising event Sabor Latino, which they used to purchase supplies for the children. They also took donated medical supplies, games, children's clothes, toys, a TV and a DVD player with movies along with them.

Once in Panama, the students volunteered at two locations. The first, Nutre Hugar, helped bring malnourished children back to health. The second location, Casa Esperanza, provided a place for children to go after school to keep them out of trouble. In both locations, students had to speak in Spanish to communicate with the children they served, even if they only knew limited amounts of the language. At both locations, students provided love and attention the children desperately needed.

"This was our attempt to get the students to give a little back," Lucien, one of the instructors of the course, said. "With the project, we could show students how easy it is to get involved in meaningful work, and how even a little amount of time can still make a big difference."

Many students were impacted by the connections they made with the children at the organizations in the week they were in Panama, including sophomore Anton Dapcic who took the Geographical Perspectives section of the course. Dapcic, who had previously traveled to other countries to volunteer, felt a special connection to the Panama trip.

"None of the trips I have been on were as valuable as this one. Being able to do what we did was worth the cost of the trip by itself," Dapcic said.