Paraguay between old and new projects
There are many activities carried out by ASeS in Paraguay, many projects have been successfully concluded others are about to be started. During these first six months, the health emergency that hit this country hard forced us to modify some activities so that they were in line with the new health safety regulations; in this way, the commitment made, with due precautions and care, never failed, and the activities continued, achieving the intended results.
Due to Covid 19 and the lockdown decreed by Paraguayan authorities, the “Building a Decent Future” project launched in the South American country by ASeS in April 2019 ended in June this year instead of March as originally planned.
The project involved the construction of a hydroponic system inside a greenhouse in the horticulture area on the Ñemity pedagogical center farm.
With the quarantine, which began March 10, work at the center has been reduced but never completely stopped, and farming and ranching activities have continued.
ASeS agronomist technician Rolando Ortiz has trained 6 boys aged 15 to 17 years old so that they become increasingly self-sufficient in horticultural activities with the help of 6 girls who are involved in animal husbandry and in parallel carry on the ornamental plant cultivation business.
Since early June, the six teens trained by Ortiz have been shadowing other teens who are approaching agricultural activities for the first time.
Part of the proceeds from the sale of the products resulting from the work of the 18-month project is reinvested to purchase feed for the farm animals and seeds while a 25 percent is distributed to the children who worked based on their participation and commitment.
During the most acute phase of the Covid emergency, ASeS, in collaboration with the Ministry of Children’s Affairs, donated biosafety products for use in Abrazo centers where food kits are delivered to families benefiting from the program.
In addition to various other projects on the ground in Paraguay, contacts were made with the University of Asuncion, and in collaboration again with the Ministry of Children, plans were made to involve university students in the final year of the human ecology course in the “Building a Decent Future” project.
Quarantine blocked this initiative in the first phase but eventually after some video conferences, a distance education project was worked out for the children of the Ñemity center who through various tutorials can develop various activities: soil preparation, its composition and fertilizers, horticultural crops, planting, crop association and rotation, pest and disease management, and Tilapia-type fish breeding.
