Our Work in Panama

Community centers can provide an important bridge between school and home. In Panama, The Library Project provides Book Donations that give children greater access to engaging reading materials within these community spaces. Our Literacy Programs use those resources to help children practice reading, comprehension, and other foundational skills.

For children who are struggling or have fallen behind, we also support after-school remedial reading lessons. These lessons provide additional time and targeted attention so learners can work on the specific reading skills they have not yet mastered.

Training & Support strengthens the educators and community-based staff delivering these programs, while Capacity Building helps local nonprofit organizations develop stronger programs and organizational systems. Together, these approaches strengthen both direct literacy support for children and the organizations serving them.

Literacy in Panama

Panama faces significant challenges in foundational literacy. UNICEF reports that six out of every ten third-grade students do not achieve minimum reading skills. In Indigenous comarcas, the challenge is even greater: approximately nine out of ten third-grade students do not reach the minimum reading level.

Difficulties continue into adolescence. In PISA 2022, only 42 percent of Panama’s 15-year-old students reached at least the baseline level of reading proficiency, meaning 58 percent performed below it. Although reading results improved compared with 2018, Panama remained substantially below the OECD average.

Access to education is another concern. UNICEF reports that approximately 12 percent of children and adolescents ages 4 to 17 are not attending an educational institution. These challenges make opportunities for learning beyond the classroom particularly valuable, especially for children who require additional time and individualized support.

The Library Project’s community-based approach responds directly to these needs through Book Donations, Literacy Programs, after-school Remedial Reading Lessons, Training & Support, and Capacity Building.