Anyone Currently in San Blas Islands ?

[Randy]

This forum & it's members (particularly the ones that helped out here) are really showing their value with the network that's been created.
This is great!!

[Soft Air]

I will be in San Blas living on board second half of current year, hope I can help the Kuna people sometime in the future, well done.

[GordMay]

lknight (Larry aboard s/v “Electric Leopard”) met her, then with our help, found her again.

Now, let's help her.

See the story and more photographs of our little girl, Rena, and her family at "Sailors Helping the San Blas Kuna"

Goto Rena's page:
Operation Smile: OneSmile

[Soft Air]

Gord,

I am very interested to helping the Kunas for various reasons, among them:

1. My boat will be a guest at "Kuna Yala" (Kuna Nation) soon and I find this a good way to say "thanks for hosting me" in an advance manner.

2. As a colombian national we have always felt closely attached to Panama, its people and its regions, including Kuna Yala. This is probably a consecuence of the traumatic way Panama was taken away from Colombia by some hot shots (including General Electric, the US gov. and some other greedy parties that got together in a Waldorf Astoria meeting and made that quick decision) I am not bringing politics or trying to be argumentative in any manner I am just summarizing a piece of dark imperialism in our history.

3. Larry published your same suggestion here about helping this people and his thread was removed by admin/mod, I found that very surprising but of course I understand this forum is not a democracy so I unwillingly accepted it.

4. Currently, Larry and myself are trying to find the best airstrip to fly a Kuna girl from the jungle to Panama city for surgery. I flew several years the region in a Twin Otter and I am trying to locate friends that still do it in our quest to have updated information about airstrips within Kuna Yala.

I hope that the moderators read my post before they remove yours so other cruisers can help out as they always do.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Soft Air

... Currently, Larry and myself are trying to find the best airstrip to fly a Kuna girl from the jungle to Panama city for surgery. I flew several years the region in a Twin Otter and I am trying to locate friends that still do it in our quest to have updated information about airstrips within Kuna Yala...

JC &/or Larry:
How are you making out in locating a suitable airstrip?
Is there any possibility of utilizing a float or amphibian aircraft, to transfer the girl(s)?

[annk]

There are a number of well used airstrips in Kuna yala. From Porvenir in the west to Obaldia in the east.From memory there are some 5-6 others. Air Panama run a regular scheduled service daily/twice daily to Panama City and between the islands.There is also another schedule service but the name escapes me.

The western end of the islands are now quite commercialized with cruise boats visiting regularly. Still undeveloped on the Panamanian/Colombian
border, lets hope it can stay that way.

[GordMay]

I know it’s not a definative source, but this map of Kuna Yala doesn’t indicate many airfields.
http://people.ucsc.edu/~ggilbert/Mai...unaYalaMap.pdf

I’ve read (on a tourism/travel site) that Felix Kantule is an excellent guide from the island of Ustupo.
Make contact with Felix at his mother, Martinas, shop in the artesian market at Plaza 5 de Mayo. Ask for Martina Kantule.
Felix can be reached at 507-627-8272 and, if you write in Spanish, his email is kantule8325@hotmail.com.

[annk]

There are working airstrips at Obaldia, Mamitupu(the eastern one),Playon Chico(Snug Harbour), Nargana, Porvenir.

Panama Air fly in and out at least daily, the fare to Panama City was $45 a couple of years ago. It is possible to fly between the islands too.

Many Kuna use the schedule service and will be conversant with the timetables etc. The planes land at Allbrook airport, Panama City.

http://www.flyairpanama.com/index.php?menu=2
gives all the airports and details

childs fare is approx $34 on todays website

[lknight]

Gord and annk;

At the moment, our task is to get the girls to their initial pre-operation screening to see a physician on the island of Narganá. This must be accomplished before May 1, or they will not be eligible for the mid-May surgeries. I now understand that just one girl and her mother need transport, as the other family somehow is already in Panama city at the moment, and will be screened by Operation Smile there.

We are working on several options to do get the remaining girl and her mother to Narganá (09 27N, 78 35W) from Niadup (09 25.3 N, 78 28.8 W) and back:

1: S/V Southern Belle responded to my last "boatmail" request, and has offered her services to accomplish the transport. Thanks, George and crew.

2: Another boat wrote me with concern that a sailboat of foreigners may not be the best way to transport the family. They thought the experience might be very uncomfortable for them, and suggested that we use a motorized passenger launch in the area. We are also pursuing that option with the Congreso Secretary on Niadup and with the doctor on Narganá.

(By the way, the boat that raised this issue expressed no concern about S/V Southern Belle itself: in fact, they said that if a sailboat was needed to accomplish this, then they thought S/V Southern Belle was a great choice for several reasons.)

3: There are airfields near both Niadup and Narganá, according to http://www.aeronautica.gob.pa/aip/aipcarta.pdf. While this is a possible option for this screening transport, these might come more into play for the actual surgeries in May, which would be in Panama City. From the data at another site, UNLOCODE , it is unclear whether the airstrip is on Narganá, or Corazon de Jesus, the island next door to Narganá, and joined to it by a wooden bridge.

I asked SoftAir from this forum to check to see if these strips are still active, and whether these are regular flights or charters out of these strips. As a lifelong corporate, commercial, and also jungle pilot in the US and Colombia, SoftAir (JC) went the extra mile, and is contacting his commercial pilot friends in Colombia and Panama to pursue this option.

Also, today I just received a reply email today from Kathia Castillo at Matchship, a maritime services business in Panama that arranged Electric Leopard's transit through the canal. Kathia told me that David Manrique, the General Manager of Matchship, has offered to pick up the tab for airfare for a girl and her mom for the surgical flight. And, Kathia herself, who is also a professional translator, agreed to help with any services needed on that front. Wonderful folks!!!

Last week communication with parties in Panama was somewhat slow because of the Semana Santa (Easter Week) in Panama, but am expecting good progress on this front during the coming week.

As always, information from the forum is appreciated.

Gord, I will check out the Felix Kantule lead - thanks.
annk: Do you know if the strip at Niadup is still active?
SoftAir: Hope the hop to PR is good - thanks.
- LK

[GordMay]

Thanks for keeping us up to date, Larry.

[lknight]

April 15 update:
Just had a phone call with Maluz Moreno at Operation Smile (OS) in Panama. It turns out that the Kuna family who is already in Panama City is the Gonzalez family, who are the family we first met in the Holandes Cayes last September. Reina, the little girl, is now scheduled for her first screening next week in Panama City, and of course we are hoping that she will be selected for the OS surgery in May.

Maluz also related that the OS surgeries will be held in the city of David, not Panama City as mentioned earlier.

The other cleft lip girl whom Heather and Chris on S/V Legacy found is still on Niadup. The non-Kuna Panamanians refer to that island as Tikantiki, so that is what I will call it from now on, as there is more than one Niadup in the San Blas. This girl, whose name OS still does not have, is the one that must go to Narganá by May 1 for her screening at the Centro de Salud.

Maluz also informs today that there is a small motorized craft on Tikantiki that could take the girl to Narganá, but German Jimenez, the Congresso Secretary on Tikantiki, tells Maluz that they have no gasoline!!

Hopefully S/V Southern Belle can assist to either get some gas over there, or do the transport directly. Also, Kathia Castillo at Matchship (a Canal transit agent in Panama) will call OS tomorrow to see how they can help with marine transport.

Gord, I will email Felix tomorrow. Ustupo is fairly close to Narganá.

-LK

[lknight]

Well, it has been a year since the last update, but finally we have success to report. Last year (2009), two different surgical missions were canceled in Panama due to H1N1 flu outbreaks, one in May, one in October.

Fortunately, last year we were successful in getting both boys (both are boys, not girls, as we first thought), to initial pre-operation doctors visits, and got them into the Operation Smile system.

Finally, this week (April, 2010), we heard the news from the surgical mission coordinator in Panama that the Kuna boy we first met in the Holandes Cayes of the San Blas, Abdias Velazquez, has had his surgery in David, Panama, just a day or two ago, thanks to the surgeons at Operation Smile. We are still waiting to hear about Inaniguipe Gonzales, the other Kuna boy that Heather aboard S/V Legacy found.

So, finally, 19 months later, a happy ending. Since Inaniguipe is in the "system" now, we are hoping that he won't have to wait much longer for his surgery, and join Abdias in having the opportunity for a much better life.

Thanks to all the sailors who made this happen, and to this forum.

[GordMay]

Thanks for the great news, Larry; and for keeping us in the loop.