The first ever project at La Mariposa began some 12 years ago when a teacher at a very poor rural school in the barrio of Panama asked if we could help supply the children with some of the basics such as paper and pencils. He had noticed that, of two sisters in his class, on any given day only one attended school. He realized it was because they had only one set of clothes between them. Can you imagine? There were kids with no shoes, too few desks and chairs, no electricity in the school, water shortages especially during the dry season and visible malnutrition. Of course we have done our best to help ever since!
Working closely with the Panama teachers, we created a reading and writing support program, which operated in the local school building of Panama for over 10 years. It attracted a great deal of support, through both financial and material donations of school supplies from La Mariposa students. It was highly successful in raising the level of reading. Sadly, political pressures made this project impossible to continue. So we held a meeting with many of the parents and asked them what they would like to see instead. The answer was resounding….English classes! So we formed the extremely popular Panama English Project which is up and running today.
Fernando – our first project worker 
Donations of school supplies flooded in 
Joshua, one of the most popular volunteers
We have learnt the lesson at La Mariposa that the more integrated a project is within the local community the higher the chance of success. We have had some failures….an example was a community garden project, a good few years ago. The idea came from a visiting North American expert in organic gardening who was very keen on adding vegetables to the diet here. Not a bad idea and we certainly have a flourishing organic veggie patch which provides La Mariposa BUT what we did not realize is that most families in this area have fruit trees in their backyard combined with keeping pigs and chickens. Not a good combination with beets and lettuce! The project failed but we learnt a powerful lesson……go with the community as much as possible. Not only with the traditional forms of consultation but really listening and observing what works and how.
So, as with the teacher in Panama who knew what he was talking about. we listen and if we can we help. If we cannot, we say so. There is nothing worse than raising false expectations in a community.
