PARAGUAY, Dequeni. Doña Georgina Jarbién – better known in her community as Doña Blanca, Doña being a title of respect for women in Spanish speaking countries – is a member of the Parents’ Committee and an active collaborator in all activities for the common good, which are undertaken in El Triunfo de Caaguazú.
She has six children, four of whom receive the support of school scholarships from Dequení.
Andrea Karina (12), Elías Manuel (11), Bruno David (9), and Marcos (7) improved their educational performance with the help of these scholarships that include a backpack with school supplies, accompaniment and a reinforcement of costs in mid-year.
For this mother, the help from Dequení benefactors is what makes it possible for her children to study. She is grateful and explains that she should re-compensate in some way as a volunteer at the community center. She frequently helps in the care of the children and in the preparation of meals.
My mother always teaches us to give thanks
“The help we receive is great; it would have been very difficult for me if my children did not receive this help. I only went to the third grade and cannot help them with many things. Sometimes they come to me for help, but I do not understand.”
Marcos is the youngest in the family. At his young age, he has already learned to value the support he receives through Dequení. “My mother always teaches us to give thanks for this. We have notebooks, pencils, uniforms, and shoes,” he tells us. In the mornings, he attends 2nd grade at the Teniente Coronel Fulgencio Yegros Public School, along with his siblings who attend the 7th, 5th, and 3rd grades. In the afternoon, they all attend educational reinforcement, which the foundation implements at the same school. This service is available for children who are experiencing low performance, especially in the basic skills or whose parents cannot help them in their learning process due to their limited education.
The children are no longer in the streets
Caaguazú is one of the districts with a greater index of poverty in the country. In this zone, Dequení is heading four projects of community development with the support of other institutions, and the commitment of families from Finagrain, San Roque, San Rafael and El Triunfo. The latter, with an important child population at risk for child labor, is where Doña Blanca and her family are located.
In El Triunfo, 265 boys and girls and 110 families are directly accompanied. “The children are no longer in the streets; instead of being in the streets, today they are at the center. They receive educational reinforcement in their free time, or they are at dance class or learning arts and crafts or other things,” she shares.
Doña Blanca hopes to see her children complete their studies, an opportunity she did not have. Along with her husband, José, they strive to succeed. She is a housewife, and her husband does masonry work. She remembers former times, “our lives have changed a great deal in the last few years.”
Solidarity run: we run for the children
With the objective of strengthening interpersonal relationships and of motivating all members of society, the Dequení Foundation proposes to companies and their employees to highlight education as a national challenge by participating in the only corporate run, where everyone runs for the education of the children. It is an event that promotes health and wellbeing and will take place on Sunday, August 25th, at the Nu Guasú Park. It includes two circuits, a 5km for walkers and 10kms for runners. The winners will be determined by the average participation by teams.
Companies, which form part of the proposal of the Solidarity Run accede to a motivational activity through an ally company, Arapacha, that prepared the motivational activity especially for the team of businesses who run.
The businesses, which join this initiative, have a special training program, motivation, and values, which seek to capitalize on the experiences of the employees who participate in the Run at their disposal. The invitation and the challenge to work as a team are for all businesses nationally. Several businesses are already in the Run. The event counts on the endorsement of UNICEF, the Canadian Christian Fund, UIP, OIT, Together for Education, Global Pact of Paraguay, National Chamber of Commerce and Services of Paraguay and ADEC.
You can be part – donations online via Credit Card: http://www.dequeni.org.py/donaciones?tipo=Becas
Bank account (handy for donations from Europe)
Reason for Payment: Dequeni
Reciepient of payment: Ingrid Springer
IBAN: DE52426613300121483602
BIC: GENODEM1HLT
Translation: Carlos Cantú, Schoenstatt Family Federation, La Feria, Texas USA 08082013
