Kambia’s International Business Projects
Faculty-Led Microenterprise Consulting in Panama
Kambia’s business program gives students the opportunity to take part in the economic transformation of under-resourced, rural communities. A high percentage of the rural population in Panama are indigenous, live in poverty, and are financially excluded. While on the ground, students will work alongside our local translators to directly support clients with practical, effective consultations to grow their businesses. Additionally, every student will have the opportunity to work with the local community bank that we helped establish to lend capital to community members and enable them to open savings accounts. A portion of student donations will go directly to the community bank to increase lending capacity and provide these important financial services to the entire community.
Business Program
On the first day, volunteers will go to the community to meet their clients for the first time, get to know them personally and engage in a community-wide cultural exchange. The following days students will administer financial literacy workshops to the broader community in the morning and meet with their clients in the afternoon to gather additional information about their business using our consulting methodologies. Every evening students are provided guidance from our local business professionals and/or our Deloitte Consulting mentors with the opportunity to reflect as a group to discuss what was learned and develop their business recommendations. On the final day, as consultants, the students will present their deliverables to clients and receive their feedback.
| Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7:00am | Airport Pick up and Transport to Lodging Facility | Breakfast | Breakfast | Breakfast | Breakfast | Breakfast | Breakfast | |
| 8:00am | Business Program Introduction & Safety Debrief | Transport to Community | Transport to Community | Transport to Community | Transport to Community | Transport to Airport & Airline Check In | ||
| 9:00am | Business Profile Analysis & Inventory Assessment | Financial Literacy for Youth | Community Bank Meeting & Financial Literacy Workshop | Final Business Deliverables & Business Presentation | ||||
| 10:00am | ||||||||
| 11:00am | ||||||||
| 12:00pm | Lunch | Lunch | Lunch | Lunch | Lunch | |||
| 1:00pm | Transport to Community | SWOT Analysis & Technical Field Inspection | Business Loan Capacity (Financial Statements) | Business Training (Inventory Management, Marketing, Pricing, Accounting) | Community Bank Promotion & Cultural Exchange | |||
| 2:00pm | First Business Client Introduction | |||||||
| 3:00pm | ||||||||
| 4:00pm | Transport to Lodging Facility | Transport to Lodging Facility | Transport to Lodging Facility | Transport to Lodging Facility | Transport to Lodging Facility | |||
| 5:00pm | Networking | Networking | Networking | Networking | Networking | |||
| 6:00pm | Dinner | Dinner | Dinner | Dinner | Dinner | Dinner | ||
| 7:00pm | Settle In to Lodging | Reflection | Reflection | Reflection | Reflection | Final Reflection | ||
| 8:00pm | Review Business Profiles & Financial Literacy Workshop Preparation | Financial Literacy Preparation | Prepare for Business Training & Financial Literacy Workshop | Business Deliverables Preparation | Packing-up & Networking | |||
| 9:00pm |
| Day 1 | |
|---|---|
| 7:00am | Airport Pick up and Transport to Lodging Facility |
| 8:00am | |
| 9:00am | |
| 10:00am | |
| 11:00am | |
| 12:00pm | |
| 1:00pm | SWOT Analysis & Technical Field Inspection |
| 2:00pm | |
| 3:00pm | |
| 4:00pm | |
| 5:00pm | |
| 6:00pm | Dinner |
| 7:00pm | Settle In to Lodging |
| 8:00pm | |
| 9:00pm | |
| Day 2 | |
|---|---|
| 7:00am | Breakfast |
| 8:00am | Business Program Introduction & Safety Debrief |
| 9:00am | |
| 10:00am | |
| 11:00am | |
| 12:00pm | Lunch |
| 1:00pm | Transport to Community |
| 2:00pm | First Business Client Introduction |
| 3:00pm | |
| 4:00pm | Transport to Lodging Facility |
| 5:00pm | Networking |
| 6:00pm | Dinner |
| 7:00pm | Reflection |
| 8:00pm | Review Business Profiles & Financial Literacy Workshop Preparation |
| 9:00pm | |
| Day 3 | |
|---|---|
| 7:00am | Breakfast |
| 8:00am | Transport to Community |
| 9:00am | Business Profile Analysis & Inventory Assessment |
| 10:00am | |
| 11:00am | |
| 12:00pm | Lunch |
| 1:00pm | SWOT Analysis & Technical Field Inspection |
| 2:00pm | |
| 3:00pm | |
| 4:00pm | Transport to Lodging Facility |
| 5:00pm | Networking |
| 6:00pm | Dinner |
| 7:00pm | Reflection |
| 8:00pm | Financial Literacy Preparation |
| 9:00pm | |
| Day 4 | |
|---|---|
| 7:00am | Breakfast |
| 8:00am | Transport to Community |
| 9:00am | Financial Literacy for Youth |
| 10:00am | |
| 11:00am | |
| 12:00pm | Lunch |
| 1:00pm | Business Loan Capacity (Financial Statements) |
| 2:00pm | |
| 3:00pm | |
| 4:00pm | Transport to Lodging Facility |
| 5:00pm | Networking |
| 6:00pm | Dinner |
| 7:00pm | Reflection |
| 8:00pm | Prepare for Business Training & Financial Literacy Workshop |
| 9:00pm | |
| Day 5 | |
|---|---|
| 7:00am | Breakfast |
| 8:00am | Transport to Community |
| 9:00am | Community Bank Meeting & Financial Literacy Workshop |
| 10:00am | |
| 11:00am | |
| 12:00pm | Lunch |
| 1:00pm | Business Training (Inventory Management, Marketing, Pricing, Accounting) |
| 2:00pm | |
| 3:00pm | |
| 4:00pm | Transport to Lodging Facility |
| 5:00pm | Networking |
| 6:00pm | Dinner |
| 7:00pm | Reflection |
| 8:00pm | Business Deliverables Preparation |
| 9:00pm | |
| Day 6 | |
|---|---|
| 7:00am | Breakfast |
| 8:00am | Transport to Community |
| 9:00am | Final Business Deliverables & Business Presentation |
| 10:00am | |
| 11:00am | |
| 12:00pm | Lunch |
| 1:00pm | Community Bank Promotion & Cultural Exchange |
| 2:00pm | |
| 3:00pm | |
| 4:00pm | Transport to Lodging Facility |
| 5:00pm | Networking |
| 6:00pm | Dinner |
| 7:00pm | Final Reflection |
| 8:00pm | Packing-up & Networking |
| 9:00pm | |
| Day 7 | |
|---|---|
| 7:00am | Breakfast |
| 8:00am | Transport to Airport & Airline Check In |
| 9:00am | |
| 10:00am | |
| 11:00am | |
| 12:00pm | |
| 1:00pm | |
| 2:00pm | |
| 3:00pm | |
| 4:00pm | |
| 5:00pm | |
| 6:00pm | |
| 7:00pm | |
| 8:00pm | |
| 9:00pm | |
Student Fees
Student fees cover their in-country logistics, including ground transportation, food, lodging, translators, coordinators, supplies, and emergency insurance. Additionally, the funding supports all the necessary costs for year-round sustainability, including client follow-up and the creation and support of additional community banks in more partner communities. We currently support more than 100 communities in Panama.
Airfare is not included. However, our parent organization, Global Brigades’ travel team can work with a group to book airfare and incorporate the airfare expense into the total fees for the school.
2021 Panama 7 day Kambia: $990 USD
Community Investment Fund
A portion of each fee supports our long-term sustainable development work in the partner community. This enables year-round funding for small business loans and capacity building within community banks. Specifically, it supports (1) community bank capitalization for small business loans (2) on-going project monitoring and impact evaluation (3) community bank committee training and follow-up (4) community bank Board of Directors Training Summit and (5) program management, planning and follow up.
Safety
Student safety will always be our absolute top priority. Kambia, through our parent organization Global Brigades, recently engaged Askari International Security, an industry leader in international risk assessment, to complete a comprehensive risk/safety assessment of all operations. A full explanation of safety precautions and procedures can be found on our “Safety & Insurance” page.
A Quote from Askari International Security
“I was asked to review Global Brigades safety and security procedures for their operations in Central America. I always use a “litmus test” by assessing whether I’d be happy to send my own daughters (late teens early 20’s) on one of their events. The answer was a resounding yes. I hope I was able to help them improve their processes and procedures, but what was already in place was good, but better still was the culture of safety and security. All the staff were concerned with safety and security and keen to improve. Nothing can ever be 100% secure or safe, but with Global Brigades I can genuinely say they care and take things very seriously.”
– Bryan Hemmings, Managing Director, Askari International Security
Safety Highlights in Panama
- Global Brigades is an active member of OSAC (the Overseas Security Advisory Committee) and receives up-to-date security and safety briefings from the U.S. State Department;
- Established relationship with Senafront to provide security escorts to those groups working in the Darien region;
- Full-time local Global Brigades medical personnel on-call at all times;
- Adherence to the IVPA standards of international volunteering.
Lodging Facilities
Annual safety audits are conducted on all lodging facility partners each year. Lodging facilities provide pillows, bedsheets and towels. Facilities have showers, toilets and sinks with running water (no hot water) as well as filtered clean drinking water dispensers onsite. 24-hour security is provided at all facilities. Conditions are most similar to a comfortable summer camp, with dormitory-style sleeping and shared bathrooms.
Groups are assigned to lodging facilities based on proximity to the partner community they will be working with.
Asamblea de Dios
Campamento Asambleas De Dios, San Carlos, Panama is a large facility that sits only about 800 meters from the main road(Via Panamericana) approximately 2 hours from Panama City. Here, brigaders enjoy a beautiful view of the Pacific Ocean. Global Brigades Panama has been using the San Carlos facility since March 2015. Emergency medical care is available at the Health Center in the town of San Carlos, approximately 2 minutes from this facility.
El Palmar
The El Palmar hostel sits along the Pan-American highway, approximately 30 minutes after passing Lago Bayano and approximately 10 minutes before reaching the town of Torti. Here, brigaders enjoy a beautiful view of a landscape full of green mountains and farms’ pastures. Global Brigades Panama has used El Palmar for several years, and it has housed hundreds of brigaders. Emergency medical care is easily accessible in Torti.
Hotel Avicar
Hotel Avicar sits along the Pan-American highway, approximately 40 minutes after passing Lago Bayano and is in the center of the town of Torti. Here, brigaders enjoy a beautiful view of a landscape full of green mountains and farms’ pastures. Also, brigaders staying at Hotel Avicar get see how life plays out in a rural town in East Panama. Emergency medical care is available
in Torti.
Hotel Tonosi
It is located on the Pan-American Highway in the Meteti sector, it has cozy rooms, of four and five people, with color television and air conditioning. It has a covered terrace and countryside landscapes. He is known for his good food and great hospitality.
Pro Niños
Pro Ninos was one of the first lodges used by GB in its trajectory in the Darien area. It is a beautiful camp in which you can enjoy its variable flora and fauna. It has wooded areas and open spaces to recreate in contact with nature.
Iguana Eco Resort
It is a wide place that offers the experience to the volunteers of being in contact with nature. It offers various activities such as hiking. It has cozy rooms with air conditioning, 2 swimming pools and a meeting area. It is located near the city of Penonomé. It is the ideal place to rest after a long day of work in the brigade
Oasis de Bendición
As the name implies, it is the ideal place to relax after a hard day. It has beautiful landscapes, spacious bedrooms with cabins to encourage coexistence among volunteers. It has a terrace for meetings, multiple areas for indoor recreational activities. It is located a few meters from the main road which provides good access to it.
Hotel Vista Lago Eco Resort
This camp is the first on the GB expansion route to the Veraguas area. It has extensive landscapes, a beautiful lake on the side of the camp. Large areas for recreation. It has a restaurant specializing in typical Panamanian and international food. It has rooms on several floors from which you can see a beautiful view of the whole panorama.
Hotel Ojos del Rio
Hotel Ojos del Rio sits in the center of Panama City, about 40 minutes from Panama’s international airport. Here, brigaders enjoy a beautiful view of Panama City’s skyline. Global Brigades Panama began using this hotel in 2018 to accommodate any brigades that needed to stay in Panama City. Brigades do not typically stay in Panama City; Global Brigades Panama only uses this facility during emergencies and cases involving extenuating circumstances. Emergency medical care is available in several hospitals in the city.
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