Our Partners

Paraguay's population is distributed unevenly throughout the country. The vast majority of people live in the eastern region, within 160 kilometers of Asuncion. Together with six partners in 18 different programs throughout Paraguay, CCFC Paraguay has transformed impoverished neighbourhoods into fully functioning sustainable ones. Our partners are locally registered experts in the area of international and community development, who are chosen through detailed pre-affiliation guidelines. Through our partnership, we develop participatory programs that build a community's ability to create and manage sustainable improvements. We help community members gain the skills needed to think about and manage workable solutions for their problems, themselves.

All of CCFC projects are planned and budgeted annually. The Country Office plays an oversight role and assists partner organizations to build and strengthen their capacities by providing direction, guidance and advice. It also plays a role in monitoring the project activities and assisting the partners in evaluating the impact of their programs.

• Number of partners: 6
• Number of programs: 18
• Number of Authorized children: 7,800
• Number of Children Under Age 5: 661

Self Sustainability

Our experience in Paraguay has shown that our efforts are multiplied and are long lasting if we help others develop the knowledge, skills and confidence to reproduce the projects we help them start.

It is more sustainable and lasting to teach, encourage, and train people to do things for themselves. If a community invests in a project physically, emotionally and economically, they are more likely to appreciate and value it. Having local perspective and knowledge of the community incorporated into the process means that it is more likely to be culturally appropriate.

We help local communities in Paraguay to identify their needs, and then work with them to see what resources are available locally. As is often the case, there may be a lot of manpower in the communities we assist, but few materials and required skill sets. CCFC's approach is to allocate responsibility to the community for providing the land and labour, and we fund the materials.

Successes:

• 30 community groups have been formed and strengthened
• 336 parent committee members
• 160 neighborhood commission members
• 75 water committee members
• 2 community centers were inaugurated, providing space for community participation, and 5 more are under construction
• 8 special projects were implemented: 1 community “soup kitchen” for children, 6 playgrounds, and improvement of 2 community centers

Micro-Enterprise Development

To create a long-term cycle of self-reliance, families need sustainable ways to generate income. Initiatives like Micro-Enterprise Development (MED) provide lasting solutions to help the "poorest of the poor" learn to provide for themselves and jump-start the economy of their community.

MED programs encourage community members to work with Christian Children's Fund of Canada (CCFC) and our local partners to develop new marketable job skills. Community members purchase the materials they need to start and grow their income and reinvest back into their small businesses.

To be eligible, each MED recipient must join a self-help group to act as each other's guarantors. If one member does not pay, then the others are responsible for repayment. This structure has been shown to greatly limit default of MED loans and presents a highly successful repayment rate of 98%.

The MED programs in Paraguay are all community based. This program is designed to provide training in micro-enterprise skills and credit loans for four CCFC project partners and their communities. The majority of participants in CCFC Paraguay's MED program are females.

Successes:

• 137 community members received micro-credit; 81% of recipients were women
• 68 adults and youth received training in computer skills
• 250 adolescents, youth and adults completed vocational training programs
• 120 persons received training in vegetable gardening for income generation

Education

CCFC and our partners in Paraguay are committed to providing Paraguayan children with the education they need to become productive members of the community. Education for children means access to more opportunities, better paying jobs and increased literacy rates in communities. With the help of our trusted local partners, CCFC Paraguay raises community awareness about the importance of educating children and strengthening the capacities of children, parents, and teachers in order to maintain educational programs.

In addition to encouraging school-based programs, CCFC Paraguay works with community members and families to develop solutions to obstacles standing in the way of basic education for children like the lack of classroom facilities, lack of teachers, lack of school supplies, the inability of parents to support their children in school and gender inequality.

Successes:

• 2 classrooms were constructed and 26 have been improved or equipped
• 327 parents participated in training on good child-rearing practices
• 883 children participated in early stimulation activities, including Learning Through Play (LTP)
• 4,467 children participated in school support classes during the 2008 school year
• 4,004 children received school supplies
• 2,776 children received school uniforms and 2,591 received shoes
• 3,421 children received a nutritious snack at school as a result of the program
• 3,752 children and youth participated in artistic/cultural activities
• 2,970 children participated in sports activities
• 1,604 children and 1,182 parents participated in training on Children’s Rights
• 501 children and youth participated in computer training
• 117 teachers participated in teacher-training workshops to improve teaching methodologies

Health and Nutrition

Investing in health and nutrition programs means better health for children and families long before they are born. Healthy children mean a healthy and sustainable workforce.

Health and Nutrition programs run by CCFC are designed to reduce malnutrition and strengthen children's bodies and their minds. We focus on prenatal and natal care and medical treatment for children, as well as HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment. Our free anti-parasitic treatment has saved hundreds of lives.

Malnutrition sometimes stems from a lack of knowledge, not a lack of food. That is why nutrition education is a major focus of our programs. We help teach families about proper nutrition and the foods children need in order to grow up healthy. By working with parents and educating communities, we promote the importance of good nutrition and explore ways to increase food availability.

Successes:

• 3,148 children received medical check-ups, and 135 children received treatment for special health problems
• 714 children received dental care
• 3,397 children were vaccinated
• 12,302 community members (6,040 children) received anti-parasite treatment and complementary vitamins
• 3,266 children participated in activities to learn good hygiene practices (tooth-brushing and/or hand-washing)
• 4,274 children received nutritional diagnosis; of these
• 6,025 children benefited from nutritious snacks (other than school snacks)
• 1,560 children received lunch through the programs
• 256 parents received training on proper nutrition, and 76 attended cooking classes
• 11 community and 76 family gardens were established and maintained to produce vegetables to improve family nutrition
• 421 youth and adults participated in classes on the prevention of Hiv/Aids and other STDs
• 1 health post was built and inaugurated as a result of program activities and in alliance with other organizations and local government
• 64 community health promoters were trained to provide first aid and other basic health care services

Water and Sanitation

Investing in safe drinking water and sanitation means CCFC can reduce disease and sickness, as well as the large amount of time it takes to find water for cooking and cleaning- time that can be spent on caring for children.

Children, parents and community members are educated about proper hygiene, latrine building, well maintenance, how to protect themselves and their families against disease and how to manage water resources efficiently, through widespread training and skill building.

In its effort to improve the quality of life in communities, CCFC works on conserving natural resources like water and providing drinking water. Constructing sanitary latrines, harvesting rain water, management of coastal resources and creating awareness about sanitation are the areas in which CCFC focuses.

Successes:

• 132 families with access to potable water, and a total of 678 families since 2007
• 400 persons attended classes on the importance of potable water and the proper use of this resource
• 315 youth and adults, and 1,223 children, participated in activities on the importance of the environment for health and well-being
• 63 community clean-ups were held in 16 communities, with the participation of 436 community members
• 11 tree-planting campaigns were held with the participation of 608 persons, including 335 children; 2,045 trees were planted