Global Brigades offers 7 day Business Brigades in Panama throughout the year. Business Brigades volunteers empowers rural communities in Panama, without access to financial services and business guidance, by providing micro-enterprise counseling, financial planning assistance and strategic investment. During the brigade, volunteers divide into small groups to conduct client visits in which they get to know the client, assess each client’s level of financial competency, entrepreneurial aspirations, and/or business knowledge. Volunteers then provide educational and capacity building assistance in the form of workshops. Topics range from personal finance to basic accounting and business planning.

Additionally, volunteers invest in the community bank by providing seed capital. In turn, the seed capital provides loans to a small business to either expand current operations or pursue a new entrepreneurial opportunity. Working side-by-side with community members affords volunteers the opportunity for cultural exchange, micro-finance, and consulting experience. The clients benefit by learning personal financial and business skills and gain access to credit and savings opportunities. Community businesses benefit from the counseling and better access to credit. The community benefits because the profits earned by the community bank stay in the community to be used by the community! Between brigades our in-country team maintains relationships with the community bank and borrowers to provide follow-up and measure outcomes.