Technical assistance activities in Paraguay - October 2008

During October 20, 21 and 22, a series of meetings was held in Asunción, Paraguay with the aim of improving the situation of children without parental care, with the participation of Matilde Luna, the RELAF Project Leader. The activities were organised by the Paraguayan Foster Care Network, which is made up of civil society organisations NGOs Corazones por la Infancia and Enfoque Niñez, and the childhood government authority, represented by the Adoption Centre. Initially, a work meeting with the three entities was held at the seat of Enfoque Niñez.

On the 20th, a meeting was held between the Minister of the Supreme Court, Alicia Pucheta, REDNAF representatives and Matilde Luna, and in the afternoon a conference with judges and childhood advocates was carried out. Exhibitions and debates revolved around the protection of the rights of children in the framework of judicial proceedings. Doctors Lourdes Barbosa and Alicia Mingo, Childhood Secretariat authorities, also participated in this activity.

On the second day, professionals and operators from different childhood organisations of Paraguay gathered at a Training conference. The activity was opened by Minister Liz Torres. Diana Pérez of Fundación Corazones por la Infancia, María Elena Verdún of the Adoption Centre, Magui Palau of Enfoque Niñez and other members of REDNAF-PY, together with Matilde Luna, presented at the “Foster Care Seminar. An approach from the right of every child to family-based care”. Different issues related to the care of children without parental care were discussed, as well as the Draft of the UN Guidelines, and the implementation of Foster Care and its characteristics in Paraguay according to REDNAF-PY and Matilde Luna. A meeting with foster families was held at the seat of Corazones por la Infancia. Families shared their testimonies and exchanged with the RELAF Project Leader from their experiences as foster families.

Lastly, on the third day a meeting was held at the Secretariat of Childhood with the authorities and the chief of Adoption Centre, Alicia Mingo, and her team, who evaluated all the activities and the continuity of actions that lead to the improvement and the development of an alternative care system with a human rights approach. These meetings were very enriching and allowed us to better understand the current situation of foster care and its possible scope in Paraguay, in the framework of the protection of the rights of children without parental care.