A Spring Break of Service

During Spring Break, I had the opportunity to go to Panama for the Alternative Service Break (ASB) program, offered through Student Leadership and Engagement in partnership with the Global One Health Academy and a local nonprofit, Global Brigades. This international service project was focused on promoting good Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WaSH) practices through a One Health lens that connects environmental conditions and community health for a school in the Coclé region of Panama. Our team of 16 NC State students, 3 team leads, and advisor Dr. Kristen Sullivan, Director of Undergraduate Programs for the Global One Health Academy, worked to build the foundation for community toilets and conducted WaSH workshops all within the span of a few days.

On the first day on the worksite, we met the leadership of the school and the engineer for the project, who gave us a rundown of the work we were going to tackle: preparing the foundation of a toilet facility to replace the current community latrines. These toilets would be much more sanitary than the latrines and included an accessible toilet for disabled individuals. We then spent the rest of the day marking the outline for the foundation. Over the course of the next few days, we dug out the hole for the foundation, using the combination of pick-axes, shovels, and digging bars. This was a long and tiresome task, but working as a team made it fun, and the time flew by.

As the last part of the construction project, we manually mixed and poured cement to begin the formation of the foundation. This involved wheeling in sand, cement, and gravel across the school and constantly mixing it using shovels until we poured it into the foundation hole, which the volunteering parents of the school had prepared the rebar for.

I was really proud of what we were able to complete with the foundation in less than four days under the sun. It made me realize all that can be accomplished in a day with the help of a dedicated group of people. It also gave me a newfound appreciation for construction work. As a result of our efforts, community members and school children will have access to sanitary and hygienic toilet facilities. The lack of access to clean water and sound sanitation systems is a huge public health risk, and through taking the One health approach we are able to offer solutions that not only improve human health, but also environmental health as well.

For the second part of our service project, we organized “charlas” (or workshops) around the theme of WaSH for the children at the school. Through the use of songs, skits, and games, we were able to teach them about germs, how to prevent the spread of diseases, and personal hygiene strategies. For instance, my group focused on preventing the spread of germs by washing hands, covering sneezing/coughing, staying home when sick, and not touching your face. We performed skits for each health measure, and then played a game where the children had to find the hidden germ stickers to “clean up” the area. Hosting the charlas and interacting with the kids was a wonderful experience. It was a great opportunity to not only practice using the Spanish that I learned in school, but also to have a significant impact on the community’s public health. The kids were able to have fun that day and learn important measures to keep each other healthy.

This trip also had many fun moments that allowed the team to bond and recharge. We were able to learn cultural dances from Panama, go on numerous hikes, and show our Wolfpack pride through friendly volleyball matches. We also had great conversations between team members as well as with the Global Brigades team, whether on the bus or during our evening reflection times, that made our bond even stronger.

On the last day of the trip, we were able to explore Panama City. We visited the famous locks of the Panama Canal, walked around Casco Antiguo, a historic district and UNESCO World Heritage Site, and learned more about Molas, traditional hand-stitched art panels, at the Mola Museum. In addition to being exposed to all the rich historic culture, we also were blessed with delicious Panamanian food.

Going to Panama was a transformative experience for me. I was able to meaningfully engage in my public health interests, promote WaSH for a community, and make life-long memories. I made wonderful connections with the team and community and learned a lot about Panamanian culture. If you are ever looking for something extremely impactful and fun to do over break, I highly recommend applying for an Alternative Service Break!