Panama – The US State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) has contributed USD 407,000 for IOM’s Darién Initiative project.

The funding will allow IOM to extend an initiative launched in 2010 with USAID funding that aims to strengthen local skills, promote human and economic development, and create opportunities for youth at risk of recruitment by illegal armed groups.

Darién province is the largest and least populated region in Panama, with the highest incidence of poverty in the country. In 2000 it had a population of nearly 50,000. An estimated 90 per cent of the mostly indigenous population live in extreme poverty.

“Education is fundamental to the employability of young people, their social mobility and the alleviation of poverty.  This area is plagued by high illiteracy and the highest dropout and failure rates in the country.  There are very few secondary schools and the remoteness and dispersion of the population makes it very difficult for children to attend school,” explains Alberto Brenes, Director of IOM’s Administrative Centre in Panama.

“This represents a risk factor that can lead to young people becoming victims to illegal armed groups or engaging in illicit activities due to lack of basic skills and opportunities for personal and professional development,” he warns.  

Colombia’s Caracol Television recently ran the story of a group of 20 indigenous young men from communities in Darién, less than 50 kilometres from the Colombian border. They were recruited by illegal armed groups and taken into Colombia.  
 
As part of the Darien Initiative, IOM, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and the Colombo-Panamanian Women’s Association, began a pilot project in 13 schools. This has so far provided training for 53 teachers, teachers’ manuals for all schools, and tutorials in maths, languages and natural sciences, benefiting over 1,000 primary students.

The project also helps interested students to gain access to tertiary education through scholarships to fund university courses and subsidies for food, transport and school materials.
 
Working with Panama’s National Institute of Vocational Training for Human Development, IOM has also provided technical-vocational skills training for 915 youth and adults (609 men and 206 women).  

To help residents from 15 communities recover from the devastating floods of 2010, the project also supported 15 community business plans benefitting 830 producers who had lost all their crops.

Other project income generation initiatives have included helping community organizations to develop business plans, improve their marketing, and their service delivery.

For more information, please contact

Alberto Brenes
IOM Panama
Tel: +507 305 33 50
Email: abrenes@iom.int