We have been busy throughout the year sending materials to resource-poor areas in Paraguay by ship and through our in-country contacts and supporters.
We were unable to travel to Paraguay in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Milner and I did travel this year, but by ourselves, without a group of volunteers. Traveling as a group of two allowed us more flexibility and mobility. This year we made our way with donations to Caazapá, Yuty, Ana Reta’i, Tiri San Antoni, San Joaquin, Cecilia Baez, Pastoreo, Reptriacion, and Caaguazú.
The Covid 19 pandemic highlights the profound disparities in healthcare that exist throughout the world. The burden of disease can be devastating in countries, like Paraguay, that already struggle to provide basic healthcare to its citizens. Limited resources and dollars have been internally diverted from public health programs to implement and sustain Covid 19 mitigation efforts.
Throughout our travels we encountered overwhelming need. Patients and their families were left to search for needed medicines and diagnostic studies outside of the public hospitals and health posts. We met with family members outside of the hospital where they made camp under tarps waiting for word on their loved ones. They gathered around charcoal grills to prepare food (for themselves and those in the hospital) and to stay warm. While families waited, searching for medicines and preparing food, they lost income, could not attend to their farms, and for some, were separated from their children who remained at home. Healthcare staff felt helpless, often without any resources to offer other than compassion.
We also met with teachers doing their best to offer class over the local radio station since school doors were closed. Teachers traveled miles to make copies of assignments and then delivered them to their students house by house. Computers and printers are few and far between. Some prepared bags of food for students and their families.
Stories of heartbreak and glimpses of hope are too numerous to mention here but they do exist. The breadth and depth of Covid’s impact is immense.
Milner and I, as representatives of OutreachPARAGUAY, are filled with gratitude for our donors and supporters. We believe we have been good stewards of your donations. Much more needs to be done and our efforts, with your help, will continue.
