Nuevo Paraiso is a Latino community located in the Rio Congo region, about an hour off the Pan-American highway. The area was settled in the mid-1980s by a group of pioneering subsistence farmers and now is populated by 2000+ people. The surrounding rainforest has been exhausted of resources, and its inhabitants are now seeking a more sustainable alternative. PE is currently partnered with two subsistence farmers in Nuevo Paraiso, and has received much interest by others to expand operations in the area.
Francisco "Chico" Cruz migrated from the Herrera province of Panama in the early 1980s, and helped to found the village of Nuevo Paraiso in the untouched Darien. He has raised ten children with his wife, and was looking for a more sustainable way to profit from his land resources. Chico signed a lease contract with Planting Empowerment for its 2007 Friends and Family project.
Juan Cruz owns much of the land in and around Nuevo Paraiso. Also one of the first migrant farmers to the area, Juan knows the environmental destruction of the Darien firsthand. Recognizing the need to think about both his childrens' future and that of the fragile Darien ecosystem, Juan signed on with Planting Empowerment in 2008.
Panamanian owned eco-tourism outfit near Nuevo Paraiso. They offer the adventurous visitor a chance to experience the Darien’s unparalleled biodiversity.
