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Cuerpo de Paz/Panamá |
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Melanie Emerson: National Solid Waste Management Training (Return to Volunteer Projects page) |
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Cuerpo de Paz/Panamá |
| To: From: Re: Date: |
Peace Corps Panama
Friends Melanie Emerson, PCV, Guararé, Los Santos National Solid Waste Management Training February 29, 2000 |
| Hello to all RPCVs from
Panama! I'm a PCV in Guararé, Los Santos with a background in garbage! I have been
working in this field while here in Panama through the Community Environmental Education
(CEE) sector. Many volunteers over the years, I don’t doubt, have identified solid
waste management as a necessity in communities across the country. The most common current forms of garbage "management" are dumping in rivers, mangroves, beaches and other bodies of water; open-air dumps usually located oceanside or riverside; and, open burning. There is not a single true sanitary landfill. But, the good news is, small businesses related to waste management have begun to pop up as well as general interest in cleaning up the country. Well, almost a year ago, the CEE APCD and I made a plan to hold a technical training to give those with the motivation the tools they need to face some incredible yet surmountable challenges. Now our hopes and plans are being realized. For the past 10 months 6 other volunteers and I have been planning this national training to educate and empower 100 Panamanians from all 9 provinces and the 2 indigenous comarcas in the areas of solid, medical and hazardous waste management. The main objective of the training is to motivate and train Panamanians to start and see through to completion sustainable local projects in waste management. The training will take place in Panama City (to be most accessible to qualified speakers) from the 3-7 of April. Some potential projects that could come out of this training are: building and maintaining a manual (or mechanized) landfill with door-to-door waste collection; regionally-organized recycling collections, bulking and marketing; community and individual composting; small business enterprise in composting, garbage collection and/or composting; specialized community pesticide collection and disposal; medical waste incinerator construction and maintenance (small-scale); and, latrine-building and maintenance among others. The audience will be 50% from the Canal watershed and 50% from the Interior. The vast majority of the participants are local government officials, technicians and community members, as well as those from the Ministry of Health, the National Environmental Authority, the Ministry of Public Works and others. Panamanians from over 50 communities nationwide, both provincial capitals and small towns, have been inscribed. For the 100 spaces in the seminar, we received over 180 applications, showing us the overwhelming public interest in this topic. Now we need some support for this project. Finding aid within Panama has been slow in coming and as the seminar quickly approaches we want to ensure its survival! If you are interested in supporting this seminar with a small tax-deductible donation, those participants and communities that will benefit will be incredibly grateful. As will we. This will be the first seminar of its kind in Panama and we’d love to see it done by Peace Corps. Please think about it. |
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| These are some sample
amounts to give you an idea of what your donation would cover during the training. • $10
- Transportation to the seminar from Coclé or Herrera or closer. If you or someone you know is interested in making a tax deductible donation to support this training, please mail a check made out to "Peace Corps Panama Friends " to: PCPF Treasurer, Jerry Lutes Please write on the memo line of your check: "Waste Training". If your check does not have your name and address printed on the face, please enclose a note with that information so that PCPF can return your acknowledgement letter (which is necessary to substantiate your tax deductible donation with the IRS). |
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MEMORANDUM TO: Melanie Emerson, Volunteer FROM: Peace Corps Panama Friends DATE: March 23, 2000 Thru: Janice Jorgensen, Country Director RE: National Solid Waste Management Training The Peace Corps Panama Friends Group (PCPF) is pleased to offer you a grant in the amount of $1,500 for the aforementioned training program. Combined with $500 from the PCPF leadership, our check will total $2,000. As former Volunteers from the Republic of Panama, we are acutely aware of the problem of waste management. There is no doubt of the dire need that exists in the entire country to address this issue. We commend you and your fellow Volunteers for addressing this issue. It is neither a glamorous or popular issue, but without question, an extremely important one for the lives of all Panamanians. We are most interested in monitoring the progress of this training and encourage you to build-in follow-up activities that will insure continued momentum and sustainability. We will consider continued support of this project but it will be contingent on planned follow-up and measured results from the training. PCPF originally raised the funds that we are now donating to your training for a project in the Province of Bocas del Toro. That project has been completed, therefore, we would request that preference be given to participants from the Bocas area. This in no way is to imply that the funds are to be applied for the exclusive use of the Bocas component of your project. Again, we commend you for your efforts in addressing a very important and timely issue. We wish you the best of luck during your training on April 3 through the 7. We will be eager to hear your report. |
| Internet Mail
Solid Waste Conference --------------------------------------
Date: 10/20/00 3:55 PM -hal Hal Cardwell,Ph.D. |
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Donations for project
can be sent to Jerry Lutes, PCPF Treasurer, who will forward them. |
