In the Ngäbe-Buglé Comarca, far from the capital, among dirt roads and zinc roofs that withstand the winter, Edgar, Marelis, and Yoalys set off early for their schools. They want a different future. Edgar Rodríguez, 12, is the second-highest achieving student at the Cerro Otoe Educational Center with a 4.7 average. His sister, Marelis, 10, is an honor student with a 4.4 average. Meanwhile, Yoalys Yarabís Rodríguez, just 8 years old, is in the second grade with a 4.6 average. Neither rain, nor cold, nor intense sun stops them. Yoalys: the girl who dreams of a white coat. She wants to be a doctor. She imagines herself in a cap, boots, and a tactical belt, contributing to her community's safety. Her report card confirms it: 4.9 in artistic expression and technology, 4.8 in English, 4.7 in math and Spanish. Her teacher, Flor Santamaría, says it plainly: “He is an exemplary student.” “Her will weighs more than her limitations.” Her mother, Mitzila Rodríguez, also a program beneficiary, accompanies her to school every morning and then walks long distances to sell crafts. “I believe education is the way out of poverty, and I know they will go far,” says Olivia, convinced that without the MIDES transfer, continuing her studies would have been almost impossible. Edgar already has a direction: he wants to be a policeman. Yoalys promises that when she becomes a doctor, she will give her mother a house. Her house is made of wood and zinc. There is no cement floor, but a pencil or notebook is never missing. The three students have something in common: a mother who doesn't give up and financial support that opens the way. These families are part of the Opportunities Network program of the Ministry of Social Development (MIDES), which provides conditional cash transfers to vulnerable households. “I want my daughter to go further than me,” says Mitzila, who was only able to study primary school. In the entire country, the program reaches 41,979 women with school-age children. In the Ngäbe-Buglé Comarca alone, there are 16,331 female beneficiaries with realities similar to Edgar's, Marelis's, and Yoalys's. Pablo González, MIDES's regional director, explains that these stories are proof that social investment transforms lives: “The Opportunities Network supports mothers living in vulnerability so they can promote entrepreneurship and education. With this backing, thousands of mothers can buy notebooks, books, pencils, shoes, uniforms, and the materials their children need to continue studying. “The transfers help, but I also work. There is no electricity, no internet, no luxuries; but there is something more powerful than all of that: a mother who believes in them.” When a mother is supported, an entire family awakens to hope. Three different paths, one same faith: where there is a mother with support, there is a future.
