Funding For a Sustainable Community

Hello everyone! On behalf of Marquette University’s Business Global brigades, we would like to reflect on our trip to Darien, Panama and assist a community member with your help. Global Business Brigades aims to equip rural banks and businesses with fundamental accounting knowledge and leadership skills. On our trip, we were amazed at the work of a community member named Leonardo. Leonardo welcomed us all with open arms and eagerness to learn, not only about business but about us as people. He balances being a contractor, tilapia farmer, crop farmer, and father, all while supporting those in his community and church. He explained to us his harvesting seasons and business model. It was pretty simple. Feed and fresh water for a bigger and better harvest. We found his most significant expenses to be feed and electricity to run the water pumps. When we brought up the idea of a solar panel, his face lit up. It would not only eliminate the electricity costs for his farm but the community as well, including for the local church, and allow for an opportunity to save and expand on agriculture. We mentioned he could take a loan from the local bank, but it would take 20 years to pay it off. My team and I decided to start this fund for Leonardo's unconditional kindness.