Help Poor Rural Girls in Paraguay go to University

Ruth and Palmira, Mbaracayu School graduates from class of 2014 and 2011 respectively, assisted TECHCAMP, in cochabamba, Bolivia. The forum was focussed on “Disinformation in the Digital Era”. 

The event was organized by the U.S. Embassy in Bolivia, with the support of the Bolivian Chamber of Commerce. It brought together more than 60 leaders from Latin America, hailing from countries such as Bolivia, Uruguay, Venezuela, Peru, Ecuador and of course, Paraguay, with the objective of working on strategies against disinformation in the digital era.

Additionally, Ruth went on to participate in the 2nd Forum of the IberoMAB Youth Network, at the Water Biosphere and Peace Reserve in Costa Rica, organized by UNESCO. The event was aimed at young people who live, work or study in biosphere reserves in Latin America, the Caribbean, Spain and Portugal, and seeks to promote the participation of young people in the activities and management of iberoMAB biosphere reserves. Developed last November.

Ruht currently works as the head Pedagogical Coordinator at the Mbaracayú Educational Center.

Adriana, born and raised in Ybyrarobaná, was the best graduate of the Mbaracayú Educational Center class of 2018. She was also part of the Robotics team and always stood out as an outstanding student. Along with other 13 alumni, she is currently studying Environmental Engineering at the National University of Villarrica of the Holy Spirit. 

In 2019 they started "Asociación Brotes de Mbaracayú", an organization that seeks to raise awareness about sustainable development and a green economy. With the support of Fundación Paraguaya, Adriana was recently awarded the Youth Business International's “Green Company of the Year” prize in The Hague, Netherlands, for this initiative.

She is the first Paraguayan rural entrepreneur to win this international recognition. Her joy and success serve as fuel to continue providing opportunities, fostering innovative ideas among the youth, and generating a positive impact within their communities.

Links:

• Global Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards

The Mbaracayú Educational Center was established with the goal of providing access to quality education to vulnerable adolescent girls from rural areas. As such, we are committed to facilitating and encouraging different opportunities for our students and graduates to develop professionally. Recently, two of our graduates, Ruht (Class of 2014) and Palmira (Class of 2011), were selected to attend the regional event, TechCamp for Entrepreneurs, that will take place in Cochabamba, Bolivia.

The TechCamp for Entrepreneurs is a 2 to 3-day event that aims to improve media literacy and counter disinformation among youth. The event gathers emerging leaders from the South American region that are interested in human rights, gender equality, discrimination, and social activism. The TechCamp for Entrepreneurs offers them an opportunity to learn about existing technologies and encourages them to develop online solutions to improve media literacy and counter disinformation.  

Ruht and Palmira are both outstanding professionals in their respective fields—Ruht received her degree in Human Ecology Engineering from the National University of Asunción, Paraguay and Palmira graduated from Earth University in Costa Rica with a degree in Agricultural Engineering. We are extremely proud of our graduates and can’t wait to see what they do next!

The efforts of Mbaracayú Educational Center to provide quality education to poor rural adolescent girls from neighboring communities are reflected in the achievements of its students.

Aymara is a class of 2016 graduate who obtained a full scholarship in 2017 to enroll at Universidad Earth from Costa Rica. After 4 years of pursuing her academic goals, she has successfully completed her degree in Agronomy Engineering. Later she was chosen from a selected group of qualified students due to her determination, academic achievements, community involvement, leadership skills, and her commitment to be an agent of change to aid the present and future of our planet.

Rocío is another stellar Mbaracayú graduate (Class of 2015). Her high school achievements allowed her to secure a scholarship in Formosa, Argentina. This shows how crucial it is to sponsor the educational needs of rural and underprivileged students.

We are so proud of Aymara and Rocío, as this shows the deep commitment the Mbaracayu Educational Center has with each and every single one of the students. We are committed to building a better world, investing in disadvantaged communities where girls are in dire need of accessing education.

Chavela, a 2016 graduate from the Centro Educativo Mbaracayú, has been dedicating her time to the cultivation of strawberries in the city of Ybybycua, in the department of San Pedro.

Motivated by the knowledge acquired at the self-sustaining agricultural school, she began production in March of this year, with the help of her whole family. Chavela has started this venture with great enthusiasm. She reports that the entire production process was smooth because there were not any issues with pests or diseases.

Confident after creating a successful business in her last year of school, and thanks to lots of practice with preparing a business plan, this young lady has prospered in this initiative by selling her own production. Marketing her product locally at the beginning and having a delivery service has allowed her to reach out to multiple customers. Additionally, Chavela’s entrepreneurial skills have allowed her to reach out to people in other neighborhoods and cities.

Today she shares her story with us in order to encourage others to support the national production of small agricultural entrepreneurs like herself, and more specifically, the work of rural women who are struggling to be recognized and valued in this line of work.