In just about three weeks, the population of Garden Bay will be increasing by one.
The Pender Harbour Rotary Club is pleased to announce the arrival of a visitor from Panama. Club member Dave Bradley and his wife Carmel will be returning from their winter home in Panama with a young Panamanian boy who will be staying with them at their Sakinaw Lake home for the next six months.
Emanuel Rios Gonzales is 17 years old and it is the Bradleys' hope that during his time in Canada he will gain fluency in English, hone his computer skills and simply have the time of his life.
Initial applications for a visitor visa were rejected on the basis that Emanuel's ties to Panama were not strong enough. It seems the Canadian Citizenship and Immigration office computer program rejects anyone who is not married, does not have children, is not employed and has no property, so juveniles receive automatic rejection. And, as bureaucracy would have it, there is no provision for appeal, so a new application is required. Finally, on the third application, and with the support of the Pender Harbour and the Boquete, Panama, Rotary clubs, permission for the visit was finally secured. A two-year long process has finally borne fruit.
The Bradleys have been travelling to Panama for the past four years and live in a mountain town in western Panama where the weather is spring-like year round. Upon settling in the town of Boquete, a favourite of expat retirees from Canada, the U.S. and Europe, Dave started to attend local Rotary Club meetings and he and Carmel began to volunteer at the local handicap foundation centre. There they met Emanuel, another volunteer.
Volunteerism is not common in third world countries where a hand-to-mouth existence is commonplace. Putting a roof over one's head and providing food for the family comes before the needs of strangers.
In Panama, as in most Latin countries, there is a strong family culture - both immediate and extended. If a family member cannot provide for themselves or their immediate family due to illness, accident, job loss, etc., the extended family will jump in and pick up the slack. Emanuel, his grandmother and cousin all volunteer at the handicap foundation in support of a disabled family member.
But the Bradleys saw Emanuel, then a boy of 15, helping out all around the community - at Bid 4 Boquete, a huge community fundraiser, setting up tables, unloading truckloads of donations, and cleaning up after the event, taking time from his school holidays to help at the charity book sale every Tuesday, and helping clean up when the fair grounds were flooded. He was someone who, for them, exemplified the Rotary motto of 'Service Above Self'.
Coming from a poor family (Emanuel lives with his grandparents, two brothers and young cousin in a home without hot water, indoor plumbing or electricity), his opportunities seemed limited to the Bradleys and they decided to offer him the opportunity to join them in Canada to learn English - a huge asset in Panama - and to develop his computer skills. As well they felt he was deserving of a reward for all he does in support of his family and community.
While the influx of expat retirees into the Boquete area of Panama has brought much positive change to the area, it has also made life more difficult for the locals in rising property values and food costs. So while the community has the second largest and only lending library in the country, it also has amongst the highest cost of living in Panama. Most expat retirees, therefore, try to assist the less fortunate by adopting local families, covering schooling costs for the children ($100 dollars per child is a lot of money where the average wage for blue collar worker is about $15 per day) or providing used clothing or foodstuffs.
Emanuel hopes to pursue a career in nursing and to continuing to help those who need support. He will be missed in Panama, but will hopefully return there in six months able to make an even more meaningful contribution.
- Submitted
