Empowering Poor, Rural Girls in Paraguay

Twenty five second year students of the Centro Educativo Mbaracayú (CEM) are the winners of the second edition of the Stoplight Olympics, a competition aimed at students from public and subsidized schools from across the country, that become promotors for their families and the fight for the elimination of poverty.  As a prize, the students from Mbaracayú traveled to Camboriú, Brazil.

This year, the competition involved more than 2,200 students from 67 educational institutions, which competed using the dynamic Poverty Stoplight methodology that intends to help families eliminate their own poverty.  The students first guided their families through a self-evaluation of the family situation of poverty and then créate a plan to solve specific indicators, such as: family savings, insurance (medical and life), diversified sources of income, capacity to create a budget, access to communication and social capital.

On the 18 of September, in the Paraguayan-American Cultural Center, the long-awaited documentary “Daughters of the Forest” premiere.  The filming lasted for 5 years, following a group of students of the Mbaracayú Educational Center, and was directed by Carl Byker, the prestigious American documentalist. 

“We decided to make the movie because we found something unique was happening, and we thought the world should know about it,” states Mr. Byker in an interview in Paraguay.

He and the Musical Director Christopher Hedge came from the United States exclusively for the event.  Also present were the main subjects of the documentary, graduated students from the school, Bianca Soares, Nilda Alderete, Numila Goméz Portillo and Eulalia Krinagui.  Other special guests, included ex-president of Paraguay, Federico Franco, the Director of US Agency for International Development (USAID), Fernando Cossich, and the Director of Agrarian Education from the Minstry of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, Edgar Olmedo Núñez.

CEM graduate Aymara was again selected by the Organization “Youth Moves,” her second selection (the first being in 2013) to participate in the Youth Leadership School.  She was selected along with 27 other youths from across the country to participate in the Leadership School, which develops training activities for a year.  This experience that involves sharing with other young people and is very enriching for our students who come from rural áreas.  Aymara is a born leader, and was elected delegate of her class by her companions, a worthy representative of the CEM and the surrounding community.  Aymara finished her studies in CEM in 2013.

Former Centro Educativo Mbaracayu (CEM) alumnus Numila, began studying Teaching Education in Ygatimí. She is teaching third grade at the local school of her community, with support of the Ministry of Education. She finished her CEM studies in 2012, and the degree she obtained empowered her to achieve the Teacher role in this small native school of Mboi Jagua.

Now she can fulfill her dream of continuing her Teacher Education studies thanks to a scholarship provided by Fundación Paraguaya, which will allow her to be better prepared and able to teach her students.  Numila serves as a great example to her community the value of perseverance and a good education.

There are about 10,000 kilometers, including an ocean, between Ybyrarovana in Canindeyu, Paraguay and Morogoro in Tanzania.  There, Palmira is starting to fulfill her dreams.  She is a Paraguayan girl who is an example of perseverance for all of us.

When Palmira was 7, she used to meet with her brother, cousins and friend in hot Ybyrarovana to play "empresita," a role-playing game in which they pretended to be business people, using leaves as money for their transactions.  She was dedicated to her studies, waking up at 4am to catch the 4:30am bus that passed her town and took her to school at San Enrique de Osso.  Classes started at 7am and ended at 11am, and the trek home ended at 1pm.  She went through a few other schools in various cities, determined to get a good education.

In 2009, a visit from a relative brought excellent news: a new high school for girls was opening its doors near the forest reserve Mbaracayu offering a certification program.  Without hesitation Palmira and her family went to register, and she was on of the first students to be admitted.  She graduated in December 2011, the best of 59 other students, with a GPA of 4.7.  She participated in the Forum of Entrepreneurs Paraguay - FEP, achieving third place among the best schools in the country.  Looking forward to her future, Palmira decided to look into colleges.  An alumnus of the Earth University in Costa Rica spread the news of a full scholarship possibility, and Palmira applied and was accepted, scoring the only space available for Paraguayan students.

Palmira is now in her third year of an Agronomy program at Earth University, with an overall average of 9.3/10 possible.  She is currently in Morogoro Tanzania, completing an internship as part of her Earth University coursework.  She is also working with the Fundacion Paraguaya office in Tanzania that is replicating the same financially self-sustainable school model, giving professional advice and feedback to improve the same system that helped her to get where she is.  

Palmira is an example of the success that a good education and good influences can bring communities that are in need of higher technical and entrepreneurial education.  Thanks to your continued support, students like Palmira can continue to unleash their potential for success.