Two weeks have passed since I attended the Panama Global Business Brigades trip over spring break. In these two weeks, I have tried to keep in touch with my client over WhatsApp to see if they have been able to implement any of our recommendations. Trying to keep in touch has made me realize the fragile nature of everything these small business owners have built. Tiny changes can either vastly grow or destroy their livelihoods. For example, the subsistence farmers that my client, the rural bank of Membrillo, served, they are just one rainstorm or drought away from complete ruin and hunger for their families.
In this reflection, I wanted to focus on how my work made (or did not make) a long-term impact for my client, and how that tracked with my expectations of what it was going to be like beforehand. To begin, through my contacts with my client, they shared they have not digitized their loans yet or used the member databases we created. I have hope that they will eventually do so and have offered my help in making it happen, but you can never be sure. I think the work has the potential to transform the community bank, but as I mentioned earlier, everything being so fragile means they could be busy resolving some other crisis or no longer have the desire to pursue the solutions.
I think that my biggest takeaways were how the impacts of development work cannot be seen immediately, and that just handing off recommendations is never the way to approach solving a problem (and may also be seen as patronizing in this setting). If I want to be able to say I made a difference in Panama, I need to continue to make myself available and commit to helping long-term. Future brigade programs may come and go adding to what we created, but I need to stay invested in how the clients are growing. I definitely think Global Brigades is a great organization, but there is a subtle undertone of handing over your deliverables, patting yourself on the back, and returning home, never again having to deal with the client’s business or personal problems ever again.
It is always easy for us as Americans to go Panama (or any other place for development work) and return home without realizing that even though we can go to rural communities and connect with locals, we still have a narrow grasp of their lives and the problems they face. Going into this trip, I sort of expected the traditional study abroad “transformative experience,” but this realization that I came away with is much more valuable. I was reminded of the importance of continued service and a great awareness of my own privilege and blessings. Overall, I really got great Spanish practice, met some very unique people, and saw a beautiful corner of the world I had never seen before!
