The president of Kiwanis International, Michael Mulhaul, visited the Kiwanis Curundú Community Development Center during his stay in Panama, where he highlighted the importance of continuity, structure, and daily commitment as pillars of sustained social impact.
During the tour of the classrooms, cafeteria, and computer lab, Mulhaul pointed out that the true value of social programs lies not in immediate results, but in their ability to endure over time.
He added that children do not learn only from what they are told, but from what they observe in the adults around them, and this daily example can mark their lives in the long term, even when they cannot express it with words.
Mulhaul also emphasized that the trust of families is a clear sign of institutional credibility.
He noted that even in difficult contexts, when parents continue to bring their children to a center, it is because they perceive a safe and coherent environment, which—said he—children feel and recognize.
In turn, the president of the Kiwanis Las Perlas de Panamá club, Katiuska Correa, stated that the visit “reinforces the commitment acquired by Kiwanis, embraced by the Kiwanis Las Perlas de Panamá club, to improve one child and one community at a time”, highlighting that the center's work impacts not only childhood but also their families and the Curundú community in an integral way.
Mulhaul's agenda in Panama also included visits to other Kiwanis centers and meetings at the Presidency of the Republic of Panama.
He indicated that many initiatives work for one or two years and then disappear due to lack of management, while projects like the one in Curundú demonstrate that real impact is built “year after year”, with people who believe in what they do and sustain it with conviction.
The president of Kiwanis International stressed that leadership is exercised by example and not by seeking recognition.
To close his visit, he took a tour of the Panama Canal.
