Our work in San Pedro
AMIGOS partners with Plan Paraguay in the San Estanislao (Santaní) district of the San Pedro department of Paraguay. Plan Paraguay directly involves AMIGOS Volunteers and Project Staff in their ongoing community development efforts. Specifically, AMIGOS Volunteers work to complement Plan’s activities by fostering local youth participation in educational activities and to raise awareness about the rights of children. AMIGOS Volunteers participate in training-facilitated by Peace Corps Volutneers- in the construction of fuel efficient stoves, and other environmental activities. AMIGOS Volunteers work to with local youth and community members to carry out the following activities:
I. Community Service: Collaborate with community members in the implementation of small-scale community initiatives (e.g. building a community library, repainting a school, or organizing a cultural festival).
II. Extracurricular activities: Facilitate a variety of games and lessons for children and organize community fairs focused on the environment.
III. Environmental Projects: Organize and plant family gardens and trees to support reforestation and construct fuel-efficient stoves.
About our Partners in Paraguay
Plan has been operating in Paraguay since 1994, helping poor children and their communities to access their rights to education, health, protection, food security and sustainable livelihoods. Over the last 12 years, Plan Paraguay has continued to grow. It currently serves over 23,000 children within 400+ communities in four Paraguayan departments: San Lorenzo, Caaguazú, San Pedro and Guairá.
Fundación Paraguaya's mission is to promote the development of micro and small enterprises, as well as low-income individuals, through the creation, growth and strengthening of sustainable microfinance services. Fundación Paraguaya financially supports Junior Achievement Paraguay, enabling it to partner with AMIGOS.
Junior Achievement International began in the U.S. in 1919 and has since grown to be the world’s oldest, largest and fastest-growing non-profit economic education organization. Junior Achievement Paraguay began in 1996 and has since served over 45,000 children and adolescents, winning numerous international awards for their efforts.
Well-matched in our commitment to youth empowerment, Junior Achievement Paraguay and AMIGOS forged a pilot partnership for the first time in 2003 when five youth from the organization collaborated with AMIGOS Volunteers on community programs for 3 days. Due to the overwhelming success, this partnership has grown to include more youth for an extended period of 10 days.
