Seeking to support women entrepreneurs, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID/Paraguay) and the Fundación Paraguaya, introduced the project called “Entrepreneurship and Resilience for Women”, which seeks to strengthen the resilience of over six thousand women entrepreneurs from communities that have been affected by the COVID-19 effects.

The project will last for three years and will work with vulnerable women from Asunción and other cities in the departments of Central, San Pedro and Presidente Hayes who have been affected the most by the pandemic. For its introduction, an event was held in the Oratory/Community hall of Loma San Jerónimo, both in virtual version as well as face-to-face, adhering to all the required health protocols.

Evelyn Rodríguez, director of USAID in Paraguay; Martín Burt, executive director of Fundación Paraguaya, Government representatives, as well as women beneficiaries, participated from the event and shared their experiences as entrepreneurs during the pandemic that has affected everyone worldwide.

“Today, we give a little help to brave women; we will keep on planning with the Fundación Paraguaya to have the greatest possible reach, collaborating with the economic recovery of vulnerable communities,” said the USAID representative. For his part, the Director of the Fundación Paraguaya stated that the only thing people want is to work to get ahead, and he also said that during this time, the organization managed to bring together more than 4,000 women in Committees of Women Entrepreneurs.

“Every time our country has faced difficult times, women have been the main protagonists of the reconstruction of the Homeland, this project is a support and a vote of confidence towards them,” said Martín Burt.

This donation is an addition to the 280 breathing machines and the 1.3 million US dollars that USAID has allocated to support Paraguay in its response to the pandemic, and which is helping to strengthen clinical care, the dissemination of risk communication, the improvement of laboratory capacities and sanitary surveillance, among other actions.