Goodwill of Panama Receives Grant to Train Workers with Disabilities for Jobs in Gardening and Landscaping

Panama City, Panama — The Panama-based affiliate of Goodwill Industries International (Asociación Panameña de Industrias de Buena Voluntad) has been awarded a grant to create gardening and landscaping training and job opportunities for Panama City residents with disabilities.
The €17,245 grant from Rehab Group’s International Disability Employment Development Fund will allow Goodwill Panama to start a gardening and landscaping workshop in an area with a high demand for these specialized workers.
The grant will largely be used to hire instructors and develop a curriculum, as well as fund equipment and basic infrastructure. Goodwill Panama will hire a forest engineer to plan and conduct the vocational workshop, which will be offered at three levels of expertise — beginner, intermediate and professional. More than 20 people are already interested in the workshop, which will help graduates find employment or start their own landscaping business. The grant will cover 60 percent of the cost of the program, with 40 percent being provided by Goodwill Panama.
“It’s an honor to receive a grant from the Rehab Group’s International Disability Employment Development Fund,” said Goodwill Panama Executive Director Angel Cárdenas. “Funds will be used to expand our services to people with disabilities and special needs by adding a new workshop that will bring new employment opportunities to the population we serve.”
The International Disability Employment Development Fund was launched in 2007 by the Rehab Group, in association with Workability International. This year’s €50,000 award, announced at the Workability International Annual Conference held September 6-9 in Sydney, Australia, was awarded to two other organizations located in Nepal and Mauritius in addition to Goodwill Panama.
“The selection of Goodwill of Panama speaks to the quality of the organization and its proposal in a highly competitive process,” said Jim Gibbons, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries International. “It also illustrates a significant tangible benefit to Panama Goodwill’s membership in Workability International.”