Students from the Mbaracayu School participated and are now finalists of the online contest "My connection to the Forest" organized by the Forest Stewardship Council, a global non-profit dedicated to promoting responsible forest management around the world. The contest invited individuals and organizations to create a piece of artwork to raise awareness about the importance of the world's forests and trees, and to celebrate the UN International Day of Forests, held annually on March 21st. The girls at the Mbaracayu School worked during the months of February and March to produce a beautiful artwork representing the Mbaracayu Forest Reserve. This process has been helpful for the girls to learn more about forest conservation and its importance, and about specific steps that can be taken in order to protect the Mbaracayu Forest. It has allowed the students to share their connection with the Mbaracayu Reserve, as this is their HOME. At the same time, it has helped them to become more familiar with the school curriculum in environmental sciences by experiencing the forest and sharing it with the world. The artwork presented by the girls from the school has been selected for the second and final phase of the contest and it has recently been uploaded to a Facebook voting platform where, for the next month, Facebook users have the possibility to access daily and vote for their favorite artwork. The girls at the school are campaigning to get people to vote and they are looking forward to winning the contest! The three pieces of artwork with the most valid votes will win the contest. The Mbaracayu School is currently standing at the second place....! This is an excellent demonstration of the opportunity these young women have to develop significant knowledge and skills in Environmental Sciences as they obtain their Technical High School diploma. It is an opportunity to empower these young girls to take action for the protection of trees and forests in Paraguay and the world. We ask our GlobalGiving friends and supporters to help us by collaborating and voting for the girls' project by accessing the following link: https://www.facebook.com/fsc.ic?sk=app_162850930432266&app_data Thank you for your unconditional support!
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For the second time in the still short life of our dear Mbaracayu Girls School of Environmental Entrepreneurs, it is with great pride and honor that we hereby present our Class of 2012.
Tomorrow, Friday December 14th, 2012, 40 girls will say "mission accomplished!" and graduate with many dreams and hopes for a brilliant future, the future of prosperity that they have been preparing for during their 3 years at the school.
The girls will receive a Technical High School Diploma in Environmental Sciences, and from there, some will take jobs, others will pursue further studies, while still others will do both!
The generous contributions collected on the GlobalGiving site made this milestone for our school and for our graduates possible. Donations allow us to continue to invest in the improvement of the quality of the education provided at the Mbaracayu Girls School, as well as in its school-bases enterprises that make the school sustainable and also provide relevant training opportunities for the girls.
In closing, we invite you to join us in celebrating this beautiful group of girl entrepreneurs, youth of today, future leaders and change agents of tomorrow. They are the change we want to see in our beloved nation!
Congratulations, girls!
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Thursday, July 26, marked a special day for young Claudia Krinagi, a third-year student at the Mbaracayu School coming from the neighboring Ache indigenous community. Prior to her departure from the school, located in the middle of the Mbaracayu Forest Reserve, 375 kilometres from the capital city of Asuncion, the entire school fare-welled Claudia with pride and cheers of pure joy. Claudia was on her way to the capital city for the first time in her life to be a guest of honor at a Presidential Act as a representative of her school and her native community.
After what seemed like a never-ending bus journey on rough roads, Claudia made it to the big city. She traveled with the senior leaders of her Ache community who were all going to see the President of Paraguay for what was announced as a historic event of social justice.
Upon arrival to the Presidential Palace that serves as the President's office, they all held hands as the Act started. The master of ceremony started by reading the official decree that marked the handing over of the land deed to the Ache community of Koetuvy, village 470 of the Curuguaty district in the Department of Canindeyu. After President Federico Franco handed over the documentation, hands were shaken and pictures taken by the dozen. The Ache community could finally celebrate being owners of their land after centuries of lands rights violations.
At a moment of the ceremony, the President hugged Claudia Krinagi and thanked her for coming with her community delegates as a representative of the future leaders of the Ache community.
In the picture you can see Claudia Krinagi in her Mbaracayu School uniform as she greets the President with great joy and excitement.
The Aché people are traditional hunter-gatherers indigenous to the Atlantic coastal forests of eastern Paraguay, primarily in the Mbaracayú region. The Aché population is approximately 1600 people. They have had an uphill battle against human rights violations, land rights violations, and extreme poverty. The school is fortunate to serve several students from the Aché community, and for the students to share their culture with their peers.
You have the opportunity to support other young women like Claudia in their academic endeavors so that they can be better positioned to support themselves and their families and be empowered as advocates for the community and its traditions. Please consider a recurring monthly donation, or giving a donation to this project as a gift or in honor of someone. Thank you for your continued support!
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Celsa Acosta is an emerging leader and role model for women worldwide. She was bestowed the honor of being nominated by the U.S. State Department to participate in the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) hosted by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs in The United States. Celsa is recognized for the work she has done over the years to promote youth rights and in her current capacity as the director of the Mbaracayú Girls School. Celsa traveled to the U.S. in March and over the course of three weeks, she and other women leaders from around the globe participated in a professional exchange, including workshops and networking that will enable them to support and encourage each other in a variety of areas centered around women’s rights. In her position as the director of a school that caters to the most vulnerable girls in the country, Celsa is gratified knowing that she continues to build upon a strong base of leadership and transfer that knowledge and passion to the young women she serves at the Mbaracayú.
Celsa is a “mother” to so many young women at the school, along with being a mother to her own two birth children. With Mother’s Day approaching, please consider honoring mothers everywhere with a Global Giving’s Mother’s Day Tribute Card as a gift this year. Global Giving is hosting a campaign from now until March 13, 2012, in which $500 will be awarded to the top 10 projects with the most donors who make donations as gifts during the campaign. Please tell a friend! Together we can continue to turn these girls’ dreams into a reality. Thank you so much for your support. Best wishes to you and to all special moms for a Happy Mother’s Day!
To make a gift for the Mbaracayú Girls School please go to the following link:
http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/empowering-poor-rural-girls-in-paraguay/
To make a gift to provide a scholarship for the Mbaracayú Girls School graduates to go to university please go to the following link:
http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/help-poor-rural-girls-go-to-university/
This picture depicts the typical conditions of the roads in the region of the school. After a recent storm, the already delicate roads heading out to the school and the hotel were further damaged and became simply inaccessible. As in many rural parts of Paraguay, the roads are not well maintained by the government. Most citizens accept this as their lot in life, but not the young women at the Mbaracayu Girls School. The girls from the school were highly motivated and worked hard to improve the conditions of the road. Not only do these entrepreneurial young women demonstrate how much they care about their school, but they continue to amaze everyone with how much they give to the community at large.
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