This project is a partnership between Villanova engineers and the Embera tribe, a native and traditional community in Panama. The community faces a lack of educational opportunities for the children and access to healthcare. To solve this, solar panels will provide power for lights and laptop use at the community school, and a communication antenna will provide access to emergency resources that are otherwise out of reach
The Embera community is very isolated and does not have access to the Panama power grid or cell phone signal. Since they are stationed in the middle of the jungle, the village experiences limited educational opportunities and must operate completely within the confines of natural daylight (as it is unsafe to navigate the terrain without light). In the event of a health emergency, they cannot contact professional help until community members travel downstream to where there is cell phone service.
We will install solar panels to provide lighting in the school and power laptops, which have been donated to the community. Additionally, rechargeable lights are being distributed to families in the community to provide household lighting at night. A communication antenna will provide cellphone signal in the community. This will help in the event of an emergency and will aid the community eco-tourism business, their primary source of income.
The electricity in the school will open the possibility of holding night classes, installing ceiling fans to keep students cool during the humid rainy season, charge laptops, and allow the use of basic electronic devices in the classroom for educational purposes. Knowledge and skills learned from computer classes will give the students in the village a competitive edge when trying to apply for scholarships to go to high school and college.
