Advances in Paraguay

As of 2008, RELAF has carried out cooperation activities with the Adoption Centre of the Paraguayan childhood governmental body.

The different actors that work towards the fulfilment of deinstitutionalisation processes have succeeded in creating a Paraguayan foster care network, which comprises Corazones por la Infancia and Enfoque Niñez NGOs and the childhood government authority, represented by the Adoption Centre of the Paraguayan childhood governmental body.

One of the main achievements was the shutting down of “Hogarcito” (“Little Home”), an institutional facility for babies dependent on the Adoption Centre. The 22 babies that lived there during the beginning of the transformation process started to be looked after by foster families, and the procedures of integration to their families of origin or adoptive families were expedited. Currently, there is a strong commitment on the part of governmental authorities, NGOs and technicians to achieve the deinstitutionalisation of babies. They are planning to deinstitutionalise 20% of the population of children and adolescents at a national level in a one-year period.

At RELAF, we strongly support the continuity of the Paraguayan Network’s projects despite the political and institutional challenges the country has gone through this year, and will continue to support them.

For more information, please visit http://www.corazonesporlainfancia.org.py/doc/relaf.pdf