Paraguay A and B Final Update
August 12, 2008
As the Paraguarí 2008 program draws to a close, Volunteers are celebrating the end of an eventful and special summer that will likely stay with them for the rest of their lives.
Volunteers from the Paraguarí A project collectively built more than 250 latrines and successfully implemented an education program called Viviendas Saludables (Healthy Homes). These latrines represent the culmination of a holistic approach to family and community development, and the Volunteers were at the forefront of helping more than 250 families have the means and education to make healthier choices. Paraguay B Volunteers also helped implement microproyectos, or small community-based initiatives, that brought the community together through projects such as: garbage collection and recycling, educational murals, and improved communal spaces.
Volunteers from the Paraguarí B project are completing thirteen large-scale community-based initiatives that directly reflect the communities’ interests, needs, and resources. Our Volunteers are proud to have helped facilitate the construction of a school kitchen, various recreational spaces, school renovations, and more. Together with their Latin American Youth Counterparts and Plan International, Volunteers helped organize drama clubs to help local youth articulate their experience of growing up in rural Paraguay. AMIGOS is also pleased to announce the successful completion of a radio show pilot in which Volunteers and community youth were able to broadcast their self-expression pieces on the air to thousands of local Paraguayans!
The Paraguarí program was also thrilled to have received generous donations from Rotary International - Asunción, The National Forest Service, and Colgate. Thanks to their kind support we were able to plant five community vegetable gardens, more than a dozen tree farms, and we were able to distribute more than 1,000 toothbrush kits to children in our communities. The Volunteers played crucial roles in implementing these activities!
Volunteers from both projects will be attending closing ceremonies with their host families on August 12 where AMIGOS will have a chance to recognize the outstanding support from community members in making our programs possible. After saying final goodbyes, Volunteers will be transported to Asunción, where we will be holding our Debriefing activities. There, they’ll have the chance to reflect on their summer, reconnect with their fellow Volunteers, and visit the colonial center of charming Asunción. Thursday will be their last day in Paraguay before they begin the long journey home to their queridos, or loved ones, in the United States. ¡Hasta muy pronto!
