Women Step Forward

I learned today about something that the people of Paraguay are doing. In their country, drinking water is a major problem. Only 20% of people in the rural areas have access to safe water systems. So the World Bank, the Paraguayan government, and local communities have begun to work together. Throughout the country, juntas de saneamiento have been set up. These non-profit committees are made up of local and indigenous people who are setting up and managing water and sanitation systems. In one community, Villa Real, this project has had benefits even beyond clean water. On the day chosen to elect the junta de saneamiento, many of the men were working out in the fields. So most of the villagers attending the meeting were women. The group elected an all-woman board of officers. Everyone in the community (both men and women) agreed on the need for the water systems. As a result, women are in charge of the biggest and most important community project ever carried out in Villa Real. They organized the word of digging the trenches where the pipes will be laid, handled the money, and dealt with government officials and the engineers from the construction firm. The men participated as well, but mainly with picks and shovels. Beatriz Moreno, president of the Villa Real junta, says “I think [the men] are now beginning to recognize the value of women within the community and society, not just in the home.”

An independent group who has been evaluating the project commented how successful the juntas have been. Their report argues “The people of Paraguay, like those of several other Latin American countries, have a long tradition of working together for the good of the community. Working on committees for village betterment is a part of rural life. Most villages have such committees around their schools, the church, and certain sports.” The people of Paraguay have been working together to care for one another. In the process, some of the broken-ness between men and women has begun to heal in their country. They are growing towards wholeness and unity. We in the Church can learn from them.

Source: IDBAmerica, "Women Step Forward" by Roger Hamilton, August, 2006; http://www.iadb.org/idbamerica/index.cfm?thisid=4237