Paraguay
-
We're helping people improve their farming and have more voice in the development of their country
-
Cintia and her family are growing a greater variety of crops to improve their income and nutrition
-
Finding the best melons and eating them is what Ariel, aged 6 likes best
-
Farmer Julio explains about the technical support that he and other farmers are receiving
-
Lack of access to clean drinking water is a major problem for rural communities like Oro Ku'i
-
In Paraguay 85% of the land is owned by just 2% of the population
-
Paraguay has a long history of dictatorship and the path to democracy is fragile.
-
The school in the 11 de Mayo community. Local people are campaigning for government support to improve education
Paraguay is one of the poorest countries in South America.
It´s also a society with huge inequality, where 2% of the population owns 85% of land. Large soya farms dominate agricultural production, while most people don't have enough to feed their families.
Paraguay has a long history of dictatorship. In recent years, the new democratic regime has invested more in social programmes, but without strong pressure from campaigning groups, change will be slow to happen. Democratic governance is still very fragile.
CAFOD works with partners in Paraguay to bring about lasting changes for some of the most neglected rural communities. We want them to be able to access their rights to government support and improve their quality of life. We work with some of the poorest and most vulnerable people, particularly women and young people, helping them participate more in campaigning for effective government social programmes.
We're also working to improve life in rural areas by:
- strengthening community organisations,
- providing technical training and support for family-based farming
- supporting people to push for better provision of basic services such as health , education and access to credit and technical support.
![London launch of the IF campaign [Tim Whitby for Getty Images]](/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/images/1.-banners-logos-artwork/if-assets/uk-if-launch/68681-1-eng-GB/UK-IF-launch_layout-small.jpg "London launch of the IF campaign [Tim Whitby for Getty Images]")
