OPADES (2021)

One of the 2021 Friends of Paraguay grants was awarded to the Organización Paraguaya de Conservación y Desarrollo Sustentable (OPADES) to support environmental education of park rangers at Ybycuí National Park. The project is going well, and the organization recently welcomed new "Guardians of the Park."

Update on Environmental Project 

August 2021

In late 2020 Friends of Paraguay awarded a grant of $500 to the Bloque de Mujeres of the Universidad Nacional de Asunción (UNA).  The objective of the grant is to support environmental conservation and education at the Parque Ñu Guasu outside of Asunción.  The project is currently under readjustment due to factors and challenges that are beyond the control of the Bloque de Mujeres. Shortly after Friends of Paraguay awarded the grant, COVID-19 cases increased drastically in Paraguay, impacting the group’s ability to safely carry out planned activities. 

Around April, the university paused extension work due to the high rates of COVID-19 infections. Currently, project volunteers have tree seedlings with different species of trees in mini nurseries at their respective homes that they are taking care of while they wait for the go-ahead from the university and for enough professors and volunteers to receive their COVID-19 vaccinations. 

Bloque de Mujeres anticipates resuming in-person activities in September, by which point professors will have received two doses of their COVID-19 vaccinations and volunteers will have received at least one dose of their  COVID-19 vaccinations. The space in which the trees will be planted is extensive, which requires a large number of volunteers.   

Throughout the area to be reforested there is minimal distance between the surface and the water table.  As a result, as seen in the photos below, the high-water levels have led to extensive presence of invasive species.  Removal of the invasive species will proceed slowly, as they must be removed by hand by volunteers and the use of agrochemicals is not permitted. 

By the end of September, Bloque de Mujeres hopes to finish weeding, plant the trees, provide environmental education, and hold an event in commemoration of the International Day to Protect the Ozone Layer.

In 2018, Superkids piloted a new initiative called "Niños Profes" to empower children to rise up and support each other. The program had several goals: 1) to provide peer tutoring to small children at-risk of growing up illiterate, dropping out of school, or engaging in child labor, 2) to provide peer mentorship and support during recess time, and 3) to develop a generation of child leaders who are empowered to take action in their communities.

The Project Results as the outcome of their pilot program, which in part utilized a Friends of Paraguay grant, were:

• They taught a 20-hour workshop to 10 children aged 8-13 years of age
• They conducted another 20-hours of coaching as the children practiced with 40 younger students
• They helped 40+ children make progress within level A. Niños Profes collectively taught more than 529 hours in three months