Global Brigades Panama’s, La Red de Mentoras, an economic empowerment mentoring pilot program funded by the U.S. Embassy came to a close last month on the 19th of November. After nine months of mentoring, writing business plans, personal development workshops, and financial consulting all 20 women involved successfully completed this years mentoring program under the U.S. State Departments initiative Pathways to Prosperity. During the ceremony, Deputy Chief of Mission, John Law from the U.S. Embassy congratulated the participants and spoke upon the importance of empowering women.
We are so proud to have had the chance to work with some of the most amazing women from Panama`s rural communities and business women from Panama City. The Mentees represented a wide variety of provinces and Indigenous groups, including: Colón, Coclé, Veraguas, Chiriqui, Ngobe-Bugle, Bocas del Toro, and Emberá. They are leaders in eco-tourism, hotels, stores, artisan crafts, agriculture, and plant nurseries. These ten women, some of which participated in Global Business Brigades, not only grew as business women, but as leaders and changemakers in their communities.
The Mentors, successful businesswomen from all different professional backgrounds, were pioneers in taking these first steps in a new program in Panama. They journeyed long distances to meet with their Mentees in order to formulate strong relationships. They provided positive encouragement and supporting, opening doors to greater economic opportunities.
As one Mentee wrote about the program, “Through the program I have learned that as women, we are able to manage whatever kind of business we desire just like the male companions I have met. We just need to establish goals and dreams and fight to make them happen and our Mentors can help us in different facets of our businesses and they are great examples to follow.”
This was the first step in a future for women’s economic mentoring in Panama. Next year the program will be absorbed and run by the local organization, Vital Voices, who then will adopt the Red de Mentoras model and create more localized mentoring groups to foster strong relationships and connections with the Mentee’s local community.
For further information on the program, please contact Program Manager Jackie Hyland at jackie@globalbrigades.org or check out the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/lareddementoras.
