Applus+ helps rural and indigenous communities in Panama

Applus+ in Panama is carrying out several projects with a positive impact on the community. The company is inspecting the construction of 25 education centres in the Cemaco District, whose main population are indigenous people. “These centres will improve youth education and help the region grow”, explains Edgar Guzmán, Business Development Manager of Applus+ in Panama.

The final goal of the project is to improve educational conditions, increasing the coverage and access to information to maintain as many students as possible in the Emberá Wounaan region within the educational system. Applus+ is inspecting, reviewing, monitoring and controlling the quality of the construction and refurbishment work of all the centres, in addition to supervising their compliance with environmental and safety regulations.

Our company plays a part in another project with a positive social impact: the technical assistance and auditing of the project of water sanitation in indigenous communities of the Ngabe Buglé area. This project works towards improving the range and service of the water supply in rural indigenous areas, especially Chichica and Las Lajitas. 

Applus+ supervises the construction work and guarantees the sustainability of the water and sanitation systems by supporting the rural waterways administration councils (Juntas Administradoras de Acueductos Rurales). So far, we have supervised 40 km of waterways and water systems and 325 basic sanitation units.

These projects are conducted in the most vulnerable regions of the Republic of Panama, the indigenous communities, and they are aligned with two of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Quality Education and Clean Water and Sanitation. “If we raise awareness around these projects, we can measure the positive impact of our operations and the way we contribute to reduce the educational gap and improve the quality of life of vulnerable people”, points out Guzmán.

With our expansion in the Caribbean, which covers Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic and Panama, we hope to keep contributing with our knowledge and expertise to similar positive initiatives that help make the world a better place and progress towards a brighter future.