The expat owners are from Switzerland and Italy. They have built numerous buildings on the island including houses, lodges, horse stables, water plants, and villas. When I commented on it to the Swiss fella he said, “I need to keep busy otherwise I would just sit around and drink beer all day.” The first structure they built is now the Hotel Boca Brava Paradise where we had lunch one day.
There are six indigenous families living on the island. The families all work at various jobs for the couple. As a bonus for working for them, the expat owners have built each of them a basic house at various places on the island. They also pay for the children’s schooling to the end of grade 12 and their transportation to school. In fact, if the kids do not go to school, the parents can not work for them. The transportation from Boca Brava is not free nor are their supplies .
The kids take a water taxi over to Boca Chica and then hop on a free bus to go to school. School is free in Panama and compulsory up to age 15 although there is an enrolment problem. Enrolment for grades 1-6 is 425,000, grades 7-9 is 134,000 and grades 10-12 is 75,000. Families have to pay for grades 10-12 as well as post secondary.