The UK Embassy in Panama and the Sustainable Panama Foundation (PASOS) signed a Memorandum of Understanding to develop a rainwater collection project, funded by the Great Challenge Fund, which will benefit the country’s rural communities, starting with the community of El Retiro, Antón, in the province of Coclé.

The project seeks to mitigate the challenges of access to water in dry areas of Panama by creating rainwater collection solutions, key to ensuring the availability of this vital resource throughout the year.

The initiative aims to design a manual in collaboration with community members, which allows the water collection system to be replicated in other rural areas affected by water scarcity.

Community leaders, architecture and design students from ISTMUS University, the CINC/USLab network and sustainability experts will work together on the development of the design manual. This tool will be key for more rural communities to implement rainwater collection systems, contributing to climate resilience and environmental sustainability.

In 2020, PASOS implemented a successful model in the community of El Retiro, where approximately 2,500 liters of rainwater were collected during the last rainfall of 2023. This resource allowed drip irrigation for two months in six beds of green beans, which were later used as food for the students of the Retiro Educational Center.

The new project, aligned with the commitments of PASOS within the framework of the Paris Agreement, seeks to expand this innovative solution to other rural regions of Panama, promoting climate adaptation and sustainability in vulnerable communities. With this effort, the Embassy of the United Kingdom and PASOS demonstrate their commitment to sustainable development and the fight against the effects of climate change in the most needy areas of the country.