01
An open AI model
UAPI students translate and review; the community validates.
IA Originaria Panamá
Artificial intelligence in
Artificial intelligence in
Ngäbere
Panama's first AI that translates between Spanish and Ngäbere, built with the Ngäbe people.
213,000+
people live in the Ngäbe-Buglé Comarca
19.4%
cannot read or write in the Comarca, versus 3.7% nationwide
1.ª
Spanish–Ngäbere AI in Panama
The challenge
Technology is not yet available in Ngäbere
Law 88 of 2010 grants them bilingual education in their own language. AI does not speak it yet.
Project components
02
Connected schools
Computers, solar power and satellite internet in the Comarca.
03
Teachers and community multipliers
Workshops in the Comarca, with women leaders at the front.
04
Public policy
An intercultural AI model for all Indigenous peoples.
The region
The Ngäbe-Buglé Comarca
Photos from the Ngäbe-Buglé Comarca and UAPI.
How we work
Project principles
1
Consent
Free, prior and informed consultation (Law 37 of 2016).
2
Collective ownership
The corpus belongs to the Ngäbe people and cannot be privatized.
3
Protected data
Every speaker's consent (Law 81 of 2019).
4
One way of writing
The official alphabet of Law 88, agreed with the community.
5
Human review
The AI suggests; a native speaker decides.
6
Open
Replicable for six more Indigenous peoples.
Project progress
April–May 2026
Backing
Six institutions sign letters of support.
2026
First resources
F5 supports the cloud, and the European Union shortlists the proposal.
August 22, 2026
In the Comarca
20 UAPI students join as translators and reviewers.
Next step
Agreement and consultation
Agreement with UAPI and consultation with the General Congress.
Consortium institutions
Led by FUNDESTEAM. Valerio Abrego Jiménez, a FUNDESTEAM director, is Ngäbe and has spent ten years bringing STEAM education to the comarcas.
FUNDESTEAMCOONAPIPAutonomous University of Indigenous PeoplesVice Ministry of Indigenous AffairsMinistry of Education · Intercultural Bilingual EducationPDIPI · Ministry of GovernmentIndigenous Affairs Commission · National AssemblyUniversity of PanamaF5FUNDESTEAMCOONAPIPAutonomous University of Indigenous PeoplesVice Ministry of Indigenous AffairsMinistry of Education · Intercultural Bilingual EducationPDIPI · Ministry of GovernmentIndigenous Affairs Commission · National AssemblyUniversity of PanamaF5
FUNDESTEAMCOONAPIPAutonomous University of Indigenous PeoplesVice Ministry of Indigenous AffairsMinistry of Education · Intercultural Bilingual EducationPDIPI · Ministry of GovernmentIndigenous Affairs Commission · National AssemblyUniversity of PanamaF5FUNDESTEAMCOONAPIPAutonomous University of Indigenous PeoplesVice Ministry of Indigenous AffairsMinistry of Education · Intercultural Bilingual EducationPDIPI · Ministry of GovernmentIndigenous Affairs Commission · National AssemblyUniversity of PanamaF5
Letters of support signed in 2026. The agreement with UAPI is being signed. Targets depend on the funding we are raising with donors.
Support the project
Join as a donor, a technology company or a partner university.
Marvin Daniel Castillo Benavides · President of FUNDESTEAM · +507 6674-7992
Photos: FUNDESTEAM at UAPI (August 2026). Wikimedia Commons: «Kiki Waterfall», Trini1988, CC BY-SA 4.0; «Ngäbe-Buglé at Sun Rise», Ngäbe International, CC BY-SA 4.0; «Indígenas Gnabe Bugle. Panamá», Rubantq, CC BY 4.0; «Gente Ngäbe», Eliseo Carpintero, CC BY-SA 4.0; «Vestidos Ngäbe», Eliseo Carpintero, CC BY-SA 4.0; «Kinder Guaymi», Larsunterwegs, CC0; «Limites de Veraguas y la Comarca Ngäbe - Buglé», Eliseo Carpintero, CC BY-SA 4.0; «Mujeresguaymies», Rpernett, public domain.