Forum Foundation

Forum Foundation is a non-profit organization supporting community development in rural Panama. Since 2006, the Foundation has worked with community leaders in the mountains of Coclé Province to define the core needs of rural areas and to develop the most practical means of meeting those needs. Paramount among these are the expansion and improvement of secondary schools and public health centers in the region. We began by providing uniforms and computers to schools as well as transportation for students who could not otherwise attend because of distant commutes. By the end of 2013, over 9,000 students had benefited from Forum Foundation programs. Aid had expanded from uniforms, computers, and buses to building new schools, remodeling classrooms, creating science labs, constructing dormitories, installing solar panels, renovating kitchens, and offering meal assistance scholarships. In 2014, Forum Foundation opened its own Forum Academy (Academia Forum), a tuition-free private boarding school in Chiguiri Arriba. Forum Academy offers a three-year program devoted to fulfilling the Panamanian Ministry of Education (MEDUCA) requirements for high school graduation, and in 2015 became the country's first International Baccalaureate (IB) World School operating outside of Panama City. Forum Academy has since graduated two classes from its IB Diploma Program. The Academy’s mission is to ensure that these rural students have access to the education they need to succeed. Computer technology, sciences, and English are at the center of the school’s rigorous curriculum, designed to prepare its students for professional careers in Panama’s growing economy. ---- We believe in the importance of working together with the community leaders, educators, and parents where projects take root. Our goal is to provide the tools that every community can use to build a more prosperous future.