Darién kids abandon school to earn money from migrants

The crisis that Darién is experiencing due to the uncontrolled arrival of migrants through the jungle is causing other problems such as the abandonment of schools by children who prefer work carrying suitcases or as guides, in addition to the abandonment of the countryside, because people are no longer planting and are dedicated to working for migrants who enter the country irregularly.

The Bajo Chiquito school has been closed for several days because the students are not attending and we have alerted this and spoken with the area authorities,” said Panama’s Ombudsman Eduardo Leblanc.

The Ombudsman said that the situation has been discussed with the authorities of the area and the villagers because it is worrying. He added that they are trying to raise awareness about these issues because the migration crisis will not last forever, and when it ends, there will be a social problem.

President Cortizo made a call to the United Nations to state that Panama can no longer stand being alone, stopping the migratory wave that in 2022, led more than half a million people passing through the Darién jungle; A figure that this year already totals 389,000.

Eduardo Leblanc, Ombudsman, recognized that 2023 was a record year. August was the month that recorded the most migrant entries in the last three years and this has overwhelmed the capacities of all institutions.

The defender said there are alleged foundations in Colombia, among them Funda Darién, which is not registered in Panama, which allegedly promotes income of approximately $300.

Regarding the transportation of canoes, Leblanc recalled that this income is being collected by the residents of Bajo Chiquito, and all the original regions of the area, as well as the transportation in Darién provided by the Transporters’ Cooperative of the province.