07/04/2025
Magdalena packs everything she owns into the cloth bag her family usually takes to the market. She takes a deep breath, trying not to cry. As she slowly exhales, she focuses on folding her few clothes and carefully placing them in the sack. She makes room for a couple of special keepsakes and a toy or two for her younger siblings.
It’s a warm Wednesday, one of the first days that truly feels like summer. But for Magdalena, a dark cloud hangs over this moment. Today, she is leaving the only home she has ever known. She follows her parents and neighbors to the edge of their tiny island, Gardi Sugdub, and crosses the water into the unknown.
Magdalena’s story is one of many. Gardi Sugdub, an island in Panama, is on the frontlines of climate change. Rising sea levels and frequent flooding have made life there impossible for the Indigenous community. Families are leaving in large numbers, relocating to a new mainland settlement called Isber Yala.
Isber Yala is one of Latin America’s first climate migrant communities, giving families a chance to rebuild their future. Alongside other urgent needs, education has become a key priority for survival and long-term success in this new chapter. That’s why the community is working with the government, nonprofits, and corporate volunteers - like employees from LexisNexis Risk Solutions - to strengthen education as a foundation for community resilience.
Risk employees supported this priority during the recent LexisNexis LATAM Annual Sales Conference. They came together to pack backpacks filled with school supplies. In doing so, they gave 650 children - kids like Magdalena, who have left behind everything they knew - something of their own. A small but powerful tool to help them learn, grow, and create a new future.
But the impact didn’t stop there. Inspired by their experience, volunteers decided to go further. They donated and packed 180 sustainable menstrual health kits for girls in the community. These kits help ensure that no girl has to miss school because of a lack of hygiene products. A small act with a big impact - paving the way for education, opportunity, and a stronger future for everyone.