Ngabe-Bukle Universidad Background
“In truth, for us and the Ngabe-Bukle people, we are embarking on a new challenge: that of preparing human resources with quality and efficiency, to be able to respond to the difficult social, economic, educational and cultural situation here. With the support of such dedicated and detached people from the Mona Foundation, we will leave true footprints that will surely mark this episode in the development of the Ngabe-Bukle homeland.”
Bernardino Sanchez, Vice Rector Ngabe-Bukle Universidad
From Molejon School, to establishing the first ever university in the Chiriqui region for its 200,000 indigenous inhabitants
The Chiriqui Province remote mountains of Panama are home to the Ngobe-Bugle people and their tutorial schools. These schools were started as small local initiatives with volunteer teachers to provide basic academic and moral education for children who do not have access to government schools. The schools are primitive, at best, and the indigenous teachers work with very little, often at great personal sacrifice and on a subsistence living of $50/month. They leave their families behind every week, walk several hours to a neighboring village, stay there the whole week to teach “their children”, and then walking back home for several hours to be with their families for the weekend.
Mona Foundation Support
Mona began the support of these 7 tutorial elementary schools in 2001 after a site visit (took 10 hours on horse back over 5 mountains and 3 rivers) by providing teacher training, financial support of $12,000 a year to cover the salaries of 13 teachers and their approximately 400 students per year, and by covering the cost of the teacher certification program for 5 of the 13 teachers. In 2003 and with support from the Indigenous Ngabe Congress, FUNDESCU, a local NGO dedicated to the social and economic development of Ngabe People, the Chiriqui Ministry of Education, and the local high school, Mona Foundation established a solar-powered computer lab in the area. Both the lab instructor and the project manager are indigenous Ngabe. This year, we agreed to continue our support of the technology lab to provide further training to the community with focus on social and economic development initiatives. We also agreed to support the building the Molejon High School, adding one class every year.
Following our March visit and meeting with the National Indigenous Congress President, the Mona Foundation accepted a proposal form the Indigenous Ngabe Congress to help support establishing the Ngabe University, the first of its kind on indigenous land. This is an honor for Mona as the Congress does not easily approve the external support of its activities.
The university is to be patterned after the Rural University in Cali, Columbia where the curriculum is relevant to the community issues and needs, and where two “Centers of Learning” established at strategic locations in the area will enable 200 students to remain on their lands while attending the university. A generous family who wishes to remain anonymous has offered a $20,000 to fund the initial phase of the University's development.
In addition, Mona is also committed to provide 12 scholarships at $800 for full year including food and travel cost to the teachers of our tutorial schools to enable their attendance at the Universidad. There are currently only 4-5 people with college degrees in the whole area.
In the words of one board member, “If anyone had told me during our short visit to Panama in 2000 that within five years we would see the development of a high school in the remotest area of the Chiriqui mountains, a solar-powered technology lab which is now growing to help people set up businesses online, with a Ngobe woman as the project manager, and the eminent birth of a university, I would have said, ‘Impossible!’ Now, I just look with wonder at the miracles that happen when someone takes the first step, despite hardship, lack of all sort of conveniences including running water, electricity and decent food to make a difference. We are indeed privileged to be a part of this time and this history in the area.”
122 Students Enrolled!
Professors Receive Training
We are delighted to inform you of a great many steps taken towards the opening of the first classes for the Universidad Ngabe-Bukle in Panama. We now have a schedule of seminars to be given by the Centro Universitario de Bienestar Rural in Colombia to our professors here in Panama. 
During the first year the training seminars were in July 2005, October 2005, January 2006 and April 2006. Our first seminar was July 11–15. In all, the Centro Universitario will be giving 15 seminars, one every quarter through December 2008.
We held a preliminary weekend seminar for nine of the professors, to be able to pass out the books they must study before the seminar, and to begin the process of their orientation into a very new, innovative system of education. It was very successful on that front, as well as in establishing those first bonds of unity that one hopes for in a group of educators setting out on a daring venture. 
The plan is that only indigenous teachers will be teaching indigenous teachers. The native professors must first learn the program and then prepare to teach it.
This first course for the professors was made possible by a wonderful family who has offered $20,000 as seed money to begin the Universidad.
When the Mona Foundation representatives were in Panama meeting with the President of the Indigeous Council, an American family came forward to help. They had been residents of South America for the past 20 years and said they wanted to commit the funds to make this possible. 
The first check for $5,000 has already been received, enabling the professors from Cali Columbia to come to Panama to begin training the Ngabe-Bukle Professors in July.
We now have 122 students pre-enrolled. They come from three communities: Soloy, Quebrada Guabo, and Alto Caballero. Many of them will need scholarships. We are in the process of looking for scholarships. The signs are encouraging. We greatly appreciate the support of Mona Foundation, through its donors, and your own most kind encouragement.
Training Seminars Continue
The faculty for the university has been taking training courses to prepare them to give the curriculum, the most recent in October 2005. They are being prepared to honor the special needs of the people in the native areas. The legislators are clear that the educational system needs to be modeled on the different needs of the people. It will resolve social and economic problems and produce a greater consciousness of development and cultural identification.
Scholarship Needs
- 1 Quarter: academic scholarship $400
- 1 Year: academic scholarship $800
- Technology degree: 3 years academic scholarship $1,920
- Technology degree: 3 years complete scholarship $3,720
- Professorado degree: 4 years academic scholarship $2,560
- Professorado degree: 4 years complete scholarship $4,960
- Bachelor's degree: 5 years academic scholarship $3,200
- Bachelor's degree: 5 years complete scholarship $6,200
Mona Foundation Representatives Meet
with Universidad Planners in Panama
“Good morning and welcome. I am the Chief. On behalf of the Ngobe Bugle people, I welcome you . . . We have worked very hard to establish one nation within another so that the Ngobe Bugle people can enter into the process of development . . . within the Comarca we do have a lot of people but they have not yet had an opportunity to develop themselves. I want the world to know that there are native peoples who believe in their capacity and their ability to succeed in projects like these. We have people who will walk this path with us, and we have God. And in this way, God has sent you to us.”
– Chief Rogelio Moreno
A large group from the Mona Foundation flew to Panama last month for a site visit to several locations. A major stop on this trip was in David, to meet with the people who are planning the Universidad. Mahnaz Javid tells us of this historic session:
“We flew into David and then took a couple of hours to drive to Anita Jorgensen's home. There awaiting us , much to our surprise, was the President of the National Congress, the President of the Ngabe-Bukle Universidad and Mona Foundation Plan Together in Panama Ngabe Bukle Cultural Foundation, the sponsoring body of the Universidad, the Regional Chief, Rogelio Moreno, Vice Rector of the University, Bernardino Sanchez, recently chosen as "one of the six wise men" to oversee the development of the entire "Comarca Reservation", and 10 university professors.
“I cannot tell you how moving it was to sit around in a circle, outside under a cover, and listen to each one of them, one by one, humbly, quietly, gently and yet powerfully, welcoming us, expressing their deep conviction for the establishment of the university, telling of the historical importance of this work, and verbalizing over and over again that ‘this will not fail.’ I don't think there was a dry eye left by the time we were finished.
“The University is now officially accredited and awaiting approval of its curriculum from the University of Panama. We met with Dr. Ardilla, Vice Rector de Extension, in charge of the approval process, who committed that he will do what he can to expedite the process to completion within the next few weeks. The Ngabe University has already 120 students enrolled and will begin offering its classes this quarter. I have no doubt that this Universidad will flourish and prosper and become an instrument of the development of the whole area.
“I am not sure how Mona has been so blessed to be a part of such an historical moment. By their own account, "It was history in the making," and we were there to walk with them an build the foundation for a bright future. We came away knowing that this Universidad is here to stay, that they have their plans all together, their vision fixed and their path clear ahead of them. Ours is to receive the latest plan and budget by the end of next week, and then go about assuring that we will not fail them.”
“We have mineral resources.We have water resources. But the most important is our culture. 513 years ago we were rich, but we were exploited and all of history knows that. 95% of us live in extreme poverty. In 1997 we were able to get this law passed to establish the Comarca, to elect our own government. We need more assistance . . .We lack equipment to work, because the Ngobe Bugle are the poorest in Panama.”
– Pedro Rodriquez, President of the Ngobe Bugle Council
“Those of us who are working for the Ngabe-Bukle Universidad are working for the future.”
– Nikanor Pinzon, Professor
“I don't want to be a part of those who criticize the government but to be among those who take action to improve themselves.” – Fabio Bernal, Professor
topNgabe Bukle Universidad completed key step to Accreditation in July 2006!
– Left to Right Carlos Espino, lawyer for the Universidad Ngabe-Bukle, Raymundo Gurdian, Cleto Montero and Bernardino Sanchez, at the University of Panama.
Bernardino Sanchez shares the story: “The Universidad Ngabe-Bukle yesterday completed a key step in obtaining accreditation in the Republic of Panama when Rector Bernardino Sanchez and President of the Fundación Cultural Ngabe-Bukle, Cleto Montero, officially presented the documents and fees required by the University of Panama for the evaluation of the curriculum.
“The Ministry of Education has already given its official approval of this innovative university. Professor Raymundo Gurdian, representative of the Extension Vice-Rectory of the University of Panama declared that they now have everything needed and that they can now go forward in evaluating the curricular content. The law permits ninety days for the University of Panama to review the documents before issuing the approval required for accreditation.
“ ‘Hundreds of high school graduates have enrolled or expressed interest in attending,’ said Mr. Sanchez, ‘and now we are seeing the results of years of work by hundreds of people.’
“The Comarca is home for the majority of Panama 200,000 Ngabes and Bugles. Even though primary school education in the area is high by world standards,the Panamanian Government provides the Comarca much lower levels of high school and higher education than in the rest of the country. ‘On a national level, the Government provides one educator for approximately every 24 potential secondary students,’ said Foundation President Montero. ‘In the Comarca there is one professor for every hundred potential students. This could be remedied if there were more Ngabe university graduates available to teach in high schools, but in the Comarca the Panamanian Government has never provided a university nor extension classes.’
“Even though the authorities of the Comarca Congress requested exoneration of the costs for approving the curriculum, they were denied because the university will be a private institution. When asked if he was disappointed that the Ngabe people are not only required to build their own university, but must also pay the University for the privilege of being allowed to, Mr. Sanchez said, ‘We are grateful for all the cooperation that the University of Panama is already able to offer and we understand their limited resources. We have obtained a loan to pay the first half and we are looking for the other funds.’ ”