Should You Support NHN?

The Neighbors Helping Neighbors (NHN) Helpline is a community safety organization based in Panama’s Pacific beach areas. NHN was born from the need to feel safe and to pursue justice against criminals. The organization formed after a number of violent home and business invasions left evident the gap between crimes and the judicial process.   Since it’s inception, the organization has had a number of successes, with regards to getting authorities to pay closer attention to the problem of crime in the beach areas. In spite of that, NHN has faced some criticism from the Expat community. Let me tell you about some of the good work NHN has done. You have probably already heard about it from an email sent by Rob. I summarize here: - If a crime happens, you can call NHN to help you make sense of the process and facilitate your communication with the proper authorities. - If you need a private investigator to assist with identifying criminals, NHN can connect you. - If you need legal assistance in a criminal case, NHN can connect you with the right people. - If you are in an emergency situation, NHN can help facilitate your getting medical attention. Let me be clear. This is some of the GOOD work, NHN has done. It is not GREAT work. It is GOOD work. Critics tend to focus on the GOOD work, because it is still a work in progress and because we get distracted by the founder of NHN, Rob Brown.

If you are anything like me, you will probably be put-off by Rob Brown’s tactics for raising money, or his ring-leader style of drawing a crowd, or by the way he speaks too soon, and releases information too early. Rob is also a work in progress.

However, if you have been paying attention, you will know that Rob has a vision and is doing some GREAT work through NHN. Here is what that GREAT work is:

NHN is doing everything they can to work within the legal and political system. NHN has lobbied through email campaigns and meetings with officials to provoke change. The board of NHN uses their personal connections and resources to go after what they think is possible - a safe and friendly beach community for everyone. It is something you should believe in too. Rob Brown and NHN hold an ideal that is difficult to keep when a home invasion happens, and they choose to pursue it. That is the GREAT work NHN is doing.

This is why you need to support NHN. It is not so much for the GOOD work they are doing. Support them for the GREAT work they do. Support them because they will hold on to a vision that we all want and don’t have the energy, the drive or the courage to go after. If you want to live at the beaches in a safe community, if you want a stronger net to catch criminals, and a system that will prosecute them, stand behind NHN and help them keep the vision alive.

How would you do that? Go to http://www.nhnpanama.com and sign up!