MEET THE TEAM

Back Row: Pablo, Climer, Layla, Ameth Front Row: Bethy, Medirsia, Delka, Landy

summer 2022 data collection trips, Panama

In July ‘22 we assembled our first data collection team to get a thorough update on the status of 9 communities we have been working with for years, some for over 7 years! With our summer intern Layla, the team supervisor, Medirsia, trained the team on how to use Punete Collect (a data collection app) and best practices for surveying households. They also developed an understanding of the status of all the Solea Water projects along the Rio Chico and Rio Membrillo before embarking on their trips.

The team visited nine different communities: Canaan, Mach Poboor, Sinai, Nazareth, Boca de Tigre, Villa Nueva, Corozal, Naranjal, and Comun.

They worked in pairs and went house-to-house in each community to collect responses on water, sanitation, and hygiene. Despite encountering technical problems and limitations on what families were available at the time of the data collection visits, the team was able to collect meaningful and significant data for each community. These one-on-one conversations with community members helped to create a platform for them to voice their concerns and for Solea to know how to respond to the unique needs of every community.

It is our goal to conduct even more regular monitoring visits so we can learn how to best support the needs of each community, and empower them to be a part of the solutions.