Group Blog for Room 1Written by Janine VillotContributors include Janine Villot, Kristen Corpion, Robyn Sagal, Kathleen Pombier, and Linnea EberhartWednesday began our first day at Casa Esperanza. We went there during the morning. We barely received an introduction by the coordinator, who mentioned that this facility is for children who worked the streets and suffer from extreme poverty (in this case urban, though there are other centers that handle other types of poverty). She mentioned ¨working the streets¨ in the context of shining shoes and selling newspapers, but unfortunately, we are pretty sure that this phrase includes other ¨work¨ such as child prostitution and selling drugs--an unfortunate situation found in any country made worse by the Panamanian corruption.
The building was very small and cramped, but well-decorated. Most of the children were watching television when we arrived. Due to having over sixty to seventy children there, the place seemed crowded to bursting and hosted a wide age range from six to seventeen. Casa Esperanza is a program for children to get off the streets and stay at a safe haven after school, as well as receive educational help. We took the children on a long walk through heavy traffic and street crossing (seemingly at will) to the park, which seemed drastically unsafe.
Many of the children seemed on the small side, possibly because of lack of nourishment, and most seem to hail from marginalized Panamanian populations, including the indigenous people who have moved to the city. They were on vacation and seemed to enjoy the park as much as most children do, and they had formed obvious cliques amongst themselves. While the kids are from the area, some walk for forty-five minutes to reach the Casa Esperanaza facility, and one girl even takes a bus ride from an hour and forty-five minutes away. The children were also insufficiently dressed for playing out in the park--most had flip flops which they kicked off to play soccer and jump rope.
While the coordinator said they get enough food for the children, they want more treats for prizes and rewards fort he children, as well as personal hygeine products. They do put some of the children through college, and even have two successes who have returned to help out the Casa Esperanza staff. They´ve also learned to recycle paper, cartons, and bottles to earn petty cash to buy special gifts for the children, such as on graduation.
The coordinator also mentioned they have to cajole and threaten the parents into working with them, as many of these children have parental issues. The children have to be at school under penalty of law. Casa Esperanza does have a social worker that works with the mothers to deal with reproductive training, as well as marriage and child support issues, but none of these programs are in place for the children. Considering that many of these children are teenagers and obviously sexually aware, they should receive some sexual education as well. The average size of the family they serve is eight, suggesting a larger social problem in Panama´s lower class, and perhaps poor sexual education in general, as these families cannot afford so many children.
The kids were bright and very interested in pictures, but many of us did not speak enough Spanish to converse with them, making it difficult for us to form bonds. Some were more wrapped up in their own groups, suggesting at least their friendships are very important in their lives, and perhaps form a support group beyond what any adult can give them. Due to our short time with them and the language barrier, we did not form the instant connections with the children at Casa Esperanza that we formed with the babies at Nutre-Hogar. It is possible we also already had our emotional defenses up after dealing with the unfortunate situation of the babies.
Following our visit to Casa Esperanza, we visited a Social Security Policentro Medico. What was interesting was that while the first hospital we visited was for the underclass, this was for working people, and it showed. The social security hospital was much larger and had air conditioning and a flatscreen television in the waiting room. It had elevators, more seats, and and was slightly cleaner. However, there were still stains on the walls and floor, no toilet paper in the bathrooms, and their faucets did not work. The doctor said it could get quite crazy at times, suggesting they suffer from the same over-crowding as the other possibles.
The doctor gave a detailed explanation of how Panamanian medical students receive their education and their requirements. Panama requires more hands-on training than even the USA, which could be positive, but the doctors also receive a less well-rounded education, as they do not have the required Humanities background found in the US. The doctor explained that there are two types of health systems in Panama: the public system for working, insured patients, and then the private system. The private system offers more money, giving the Panamanian doctors incentive to prioritize their attention to it. The local clinics are the primary health care in Panama, and the tough environment surrounding this particular center is reflected in the patients. Big issues are child with dehydration and asthma, and adults with hypertension.
Since their triage is not well-defined, they see a lot of patients in the emergency room that should be in outpatient. The filing system is done with paper files, and despite beign archaic, the doctor was quick to point out they never lose anything. At the same time, their medical records do not seem to be a large priority and can easily be altered--they are also not easily accessible. Some politicians have prevented implementing a stronger health care system, and the doctor argues that comparitively speaking, Panamanians are better off than in other Latin American countries he´s visited, such as Argentina, which is very chaotic. Given the problems Panama faces in health care, it is sobering to think of how much worse health care is elsewhere.
What was the most frustrating about visiting these hospitals is how obvious it is that poor people receive poor health care and attention. Corruption seems to be at every level, and the government´s priorities do not seem to be on the disadvantaged at all. The standards here are much lower than in America (and Janine adds, worse than China, which is a Communist country), and as we all know, they are far from perfect in America. Since the government controls the system, it is extremely hard to change anything in Panama effectively, and most people cannot afford private insurance. Panamanians have a real conundrum to sort out. Only they can eliminate the corruption and challenges in their systems and society--issues that even America must confront as well, in its own homeland.
We finished up our day at the lovely Tinajas restaurant, which offered a variety of delicious Panamanian dishes and a dancing show including several dances from across Panama. The dresses of the women were gorgeous. The music was quite loud, and the flurry of movement and color typical of Panamanian abundance and energy. It was a wonderful way to end the day and appreciate the rich culture of Panama through its clothing, dances, and food. However, the entire shows was designed for tourists, and did not offer much deep insight into the culture.
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