About Paraguay
Some numbers on the country to understand why Paraguay needs your help.
Paraguay is the third poorest country in South America.
35% of the population is poor, within this group 19% of the people are extremely poor (71% from that group live in rural areas).
20.6% of total population lives in slums (on streets, parks, along side rivers etc).
| Area: | 406,750 km2 (size of California in US) |
| Population: | over 6.000.00 (nearly 7.000.000) |
| Pop. growth rate: | 2.4% |
| Capital: | Asunción |
| Ethnicity: | 95% mestizo (mixed Spanish and indigenous) and 5% European descent and indigenous groups. |
| Languages: | Spanish (for business and government) and Guaraní (spoken by 90% of the population). |
| Religion: | Catholic 90% / 10% Mennonite and other Protestant |
| Life expectancy: | 75.1 year |
| Unemployment rate: | 7.9 % of Economically Active Population. (2009) |
| Gross domestic product: | USD 1.515 (2009) |
| Export products: | soybeans, cotton, beef, edible oils, electricity, wood and leather |
| Natural resources: | hydropower, timber, iron and others minerals, manganeso, limestone. |
Housing situation
There are aprox. 1,300,000 houses (2.5% grow rate) in Paraguay. With that 15.000 new houses more are needed every year. Nearly 50% of the houses in Paraguay can be considered as inadequate. About one quarter of the houses suffer from overcrowding.
| Number of inadequate houses | 804.017 |
| Houses in need of improvements and additions | 168.843 |
| Houses in need of additions | 24.120 |
| Houses in need of improvements | 514.570 |
| Families in need of new houses | 96.482 |
Officially 75% of the houses are in ownership.
Only 11% of houses or apartments are rented.
63% of houses lack in garbage disposal.
Only 50% of houses are connected to public water supply.
Approximately 3.8 million Paraguayans live in inadequate housing conditions.
Cultural tips in Paraguay
- Both Spanish and Guarani are spoken in Paraguay
- Guarani is spoken more in the rural areas as it is passed from generation to generation
- Even if you don’t speak Spanish, try your best to communicate using hands, motions, pictures, etc!
- Say “Gracias” if you want to say “no thank you.” It’s more polite than “No gracias.”
- A common verbal greeting is “hola, que tal?” or “Mba´eichapa”
- When passing people in street, the greeting is “Adios”
- Upon entering the gate to a home, clapping your hands and saying hola is equivalent to ringing the doorbell
- It is customary to ask permission before taking a photo or before entering a home, office, or service area – Just say, “Permiso”
- The custom when greeting people is typically two kisses, one on each cheek, which is exchanged between women, as well as between men and women.
- The greeting between men is shaking hands with the right hand.
Sense of time
- Paraguayans generally have a slower rhythm of life. You will find that people often operate on a different time schedule than you might be accustomed to.
- Things do not always start on time and schedules can change last minute.
- If there is downtime during work day, take advantage of this time to walk around-get to know the children, the neighbors, and the neighborhood.
- However, we ask that you do not invite children onto the work site.
- Try to be patient and remember that flexibility is always key in everything we do here!
The do’s and dont’s of Paraguay for Global Village teams
- Be careful when crossing the street; pedestrians do not have the right of way.
- Do not flush toilet paper or sanitary products down the toilet; place them in the waste receptacle provided in the bathroom.
- As a general rule, do not touch stray animals - they may have fleas and/or other illnesses.
- Always use the “buddy system”.
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Carry a copy of your passport instead of the original. - Do not carry too much cash with you at anytime or keep it in one place (see list of prices “Costs in Paraguay”).
- At the hotel, you can leave your valuables in the safe during the week.