Welcome to Plan Paraguay

Paraguay is a landlocked country in the heart of South America, surrounded by Argentina, Bolivia and Brazil. The country is approximately the size of Sweden.

Paraguay's present population is the result of two different ethnic and cultural types - Guarani and Spanish. When the Spanish first arrived in the country the Guarani Indians encouraged their women to marry the newcomers - from this mixture the culture of Paraguay was born.

The Guarani culture is still evident throughout the country. Guarani is an officially recognised language and is taught alongside Spanish in schools.

Families in Paraguay mostly eat cassava (a potato-like tuber) with corn, beans and occasionally meat. Milk and dairy products are expensive and, therefore, not widely eaten, especially by children. Vegetables are rarely consumed since they are not part of the rural population's preferred diet, and are very expensive in the local markets.

During the second half of the year, the Paraguayan economy suffered a dramatic downturn, in large part due to the collapse of the economy in neighbouring Argentina. Since then, even the costs of basic services such as water and electricity have greatly increased. There has also been a noticeable upturn in crime and violence across the country. Below you'll find information about what we've been doing in the past year in four key programme areas.