Rohayhu Paraguay!

Hope and Refuge

2011-11-28T22:54:00.000-08:00

I’m Sandra and I’m 18 years old. I came to the home when I was 13 in order to continue my secondary education. My mum lives far from the school and could not afford to send me any longer. Now I am about to graduate from school and was voted best classmate. My hope is to go to university to do Business Studies next year.

Rupert taught me and another girl to do simple accounting and we were delighted when we received our certificates! Now I help Osvaldo and Maria Luisa with the accounts in the home and it is great preparation for my course.

With the girls we do dancing to Christian music and use it to share God's love. I love choreographing the steps to this and teaching the girls.

I could never have done any of this if I had not come to the home and I am so grateful for the opportunities I have been given through being here.

Pamela and Vanesa

We are Pamela and Vanesa and we are 9 years old. We came to the home last year because our mum left us and our dad is very poor.

We are very happy here in the home because now we have plenty of food and new clothes. We did not have much to eat before and only a few old clothes to wear. We used to wash in a pond near our house but now we get to have showers every day and even brush our teeth! We love playing in the toy library as we never had toys before.

When we arrived we could not read or write. We thought we would never learn as our teachers could not help us. But we have been studying with Sami and we are SO excited because now we can read and understand our lessons at school!

Paraguay's Bicentenary

2011-06-20T14:21:00.000-07:00

This is a special year for Paraguay as it marks 200 years of its independence from Spanish colonial rule. In true Paraguayan style it was a peaceful revolution with the governor handing over the country without a fight to the leaders of the revolution on May 15th 1811. He even formed part of the new government for a while! Fulgencio Yegros, one of the key figures of the revolution, was from none other than the village of Quyquyho, where the Children's Home is situated!

It was great that we had a friend, Vicky, to stay during this period as we might otherwise have missed some of the festivities. It was wonderful to wander through the centre enjoying the sense of celebration and optimism in the air - even the oranges on the trees had red, white and blue ribbons tied round them! We were also able to see Paraguayan dancing and listen to some young harpists, who played especially for Vicky.

Of course no trip to Paraguay is complete without a trip to the spectacular Iguassu Falls on the border of Brazil and Argentina, near the Paraguayan frontier. And they did not disappoint! The trampoline in the hotel was also great fun, though we are not sure if it was meant for the children?

We completed Vicky's holiday by doing the Bicentenary Walk in one of Asuncion's public parks, which seemed an appropriate way to end her very enjoyable visit.

The Kindness of Strangers

2011-06-15T14:26:00.000-07:00

The children in the Home have always washed their clothes by hand. It is time consuming and very cold in winter without warm running water. Their prayers never lacked a petition for a washing machine!

Thanks to a generous donation from Rotary Spilsby and Rotary International, the girls have finally got their washing machine! On receiving it the girls said, "We are thrilled with the machine. We now have more time to study, play, rest and read. This is a dream come true for us!"

But it didn't end there.

The Home and Feeding Programme needed more cleaning materials, cups and plates. These too were provided with Rotary's donation.

Next came the automatic water pump control. The Home has a well and a water tower but the water pressure was so weak it took hours every day to water the vegetable garden. Because of this they have been unable to grow many vegetables. However, with the automatic pump control they now get excellent water pressure and can irrigate their crops using a sprinkler. This is saving them a lot of time and energy and as a result they now plan to plant carrots, peppers, lettuces, cucumbers, radishes, onions, tomatoes, beans and various herbs. These will all be used for the girls and the children in the Feeding Programme.

And finally the chickens! 2 years ago they had a henhouse built but have not had the money to buy the chickens. With Rotary's donation they were able to buy 100 laying hen chicks, chicken feed, chicken feeders and water troughs. In 6 months they should have enough eggs to provide for the children in the Home and the Feeding Programme.

So a HUGE thank you to Rotary for their generous donation which went much further than any of us could have imagined!

U2 in Argentina

2011-06-15T10:48:00.000-07:00

At last, having seen them in 3D in BA 5 years ago, we were abe to see U2 live in La Plata, Argentina in March. Sam, being diddy, had an excellent view of the big screens and the head of the guy in front her, while Rupert had a fantastic view of the whole concert. The outstanding show came complete with an inspiring message from Bishop Tutu and the participation of Amnesty International.

But there was so much more! Street tango in Buenos Aires, the stunning cathedral in La Plata, beautiful walks along the river front at Puerto Madero and delicious Argentinian steak! What more can you ask for?

Burger and chips please!

2010-11-21T20:15:00.000-08:00

Part of Osvaldo and Maria Luisa's vision is to provide employment opportunities and training for young people in the isolated village of Quyquyho. For years it has been their dream to open a burger bar and provide a clean, pleasant environment for families to go out with their children and young people to meet. After a very generous donation this year, they were able to open for business in November! (Photos below)

The response has been overwhelming. The village council gave them permission to use a beautiful piece of land in the centre of the village next to the park and police station! Osvaldo said: "Many people are coming and are commenting that at last there is a place in Quyquyho where people can go out and there is wholesome environment for all the family. We have provided regular work for 2 young people in the village and in the summer we will employ 2 more. On Saturday 13th November we invited 22 children from 2 very poor, small schools on the outskirts of Quyquyho. These are children who would never normally get the opportunity to go out for a hamburger and they were thrilled. Our desire is to provide a service that will bless the community." Photos below.

And we can personally testify that the food is delicious!

Rup and Sam in Quyquyho

2010-11-05T13:53:00.000-07:00

Paradise in Paraguay Nov 2010

2010-11-05T05:55:00.000-07:00

Paxos, Greece with Rup's parents Sept 2010

2010-11-05T05:48:00.000-07:00

Free Software Conference

2010-06-25T12:29:00.000-07:00

Being a firm believer in free, open source software because of its benefits to people on low incomes, Rupert was greatly encouraged and excited to see that the government of Paraguay was going to be hosting, in April, its first International Conference on Free Software. The aim of the conference was to give a boost to migration to Free Software in the whole of Latin America, particularly in Paraguay. (Photo below)

Though all of the conference was interesting, what most inspired Rup, and it would seem the Paraguayan government also, was a talk by an Indian called V. Sasi Kumar, who spoke about his experience implementing free software in schools in Kerala in India. (Photo below) Representatives from the Ministry of Education in Paraguay are going to visit the programme in India to see what they can learn from their experience. At the moment no state schools have any computers for students so this could be a big step forward for education in Paraguay.

Rup has written and published some user guides, in Spanish, for the free software package OpenOffice. These have proved very popular with people all over the Spanish speaking world. Who knows? They may even prove useful in Paraguay! (Photo of Rup with guides below)

Toy Library helping local school

2010-06-25T10:57:00.000-07:00

State schools in Paraguay, due to the limited government funding they are given, have very few educational rescources, games and toys. (Photo of classroom below) Teachers need to make or buy their own resources which is not easy on their low wage.

For this reason we decided to offer the Toy Library to the children from the local school in Quyquyho. The teachers are delighted but it is nothing compared to the reaction of the children who are so excited about coming they count the days to their next visit! (Photos below) Around 100 children, from Reception to Year 3, are visiting every month. One teacher commented: "Children learn best through play but I have nothing like this in my classroom. I try to make my own resources but it is not enough. This is just what my children need. We can't wait to come on Fridays!"

The Feeding Programme in Quyquyho

2010-06-25T10:16:00.000-07:00

Osvaldo and Maria Luisa opened the Feeding Programme in Quyquyho 5 years ago, well before the Children's Home was started. It caters, from Monday to Friday, February to December, for around 100 of the village's poorest, most undernourished children. In order to help these children receive an education, they are also provided with school books, materials and uniforms. Health problems are attended to as much as possible with courses of treatment given to get rid of their parasites.

In February this year the Feeding Programme, or "Comedor" as it is called here, was opened with 130 children registering. (Photos below) They were also provided with all they needed to continue their studies in the local school.

Osvaldo recently commented: "Since the opening of the “Comedor” the village of Quyquyhó no longer sees poor children selling sweets or begging and neither are there malnourished, dirty children wandering the streets. The 100 children who attend the “Comedor” have learnt to be honest, they no longer steal from one another, and they have learnt to respect both themselves and each other."
Inspiring stuff!

'El Puente' Children's Home

2009-11-18T12:07:00.000-08:00

El Puente (which means The Bridge) is a Children’s Home in the heart of rural Paraguay set up to rescue abused and abandoned girls and provide a loving, secure Christian home for them to grow up in. Currently there are 15, ranging from 1 to 16 years old (photos below). The home is run by an inspirational Paraguayan couple - Osvaldo and María Luisa - and supported by an equally inspirational Christian charity called Operation South America (OSA). You can find out more about them from their website by clicking on their icon on the sidebar.

The home is in a beautiful part of the countryside and also runs a feeding programme and provides educational support for around 100 of the village's poorest children. FEISA recently helped them to set up their own Toy Library which is being used as an outreach to all the young children in the village and we also hope to take it to other children's homes and poor schools in the surrounding towns and villages to give them the opportunity to learn through play.

With the restructuring of FEISA, Samantha has now left the college to work in the Home as an Educator. She is currently teaching Maths, literacy and English as well as doing Bible studies and pastoral care with the older girls. She is loving it and feels like she has suddenly acquired 15 daughters! Rupert continues to work in FEISA and is planning to leave in 2010 after he has closed the 2009 accounts and trained a local accountant to take over. He hopes to get more involved in the Home next year helping Osvaldo set up some computer provision and training for young people in the village. (Rup with Osvaldo, final photo).

We feel excited by the new opportunites to serve in Paraguay and are delighted to be working with Osvaldo, María Luisa and OSA. You don't need to spend long in the Home to experience the love and grace of God in action and realise it is a very special place.

We'd really value your prayers for this next step in our lives and that we might be a blessing and support to Osvaldo, Maria Luisa and OSA.

Please also pray for Rup's health. Tests recently confirmed that he has a heart arrhythmia and the doctors are now doing further tests to diagnose what type he has and what course of treatment to give him. We have been extremely impressed with the quality of health care he has received in Paraguay and thank God for the care and thoroughness of the doctors here.

Moving on...

2009-09-09T08:21:00.000-07:00

There have been some changes in our lives over the last few months which have brought with them many challenges.

FEISA has been faced with huge financial challenges this year. As a result, in July the new Bishop of Paraguay implemented a restructuring of FEISA and various people sadly had to be made redundant. His intention is to reduce the dependence on external funding and enable FEISA to be more locally sustainable. This reduced dependence gives more autonomy to the local leadership by reducing expatriate influence. Though painful, this has been a positive move for FEISA and has given it the best chance of surviving.

Please pray for the Lord to comfort all those who have been made redundant and to help them find new jobs after August. Also pray for the new leaders of FEISA, Ana and Gloria, that the Lord would give them wisdom and grace in all the difficult decisions they need to make.

We have also been affected by these changes. Rup is planning to complete the 2009 financial accounts and train a local accountant to take over in 2010.

Sam's role as Coordinator of Social Programmes ended with the restructuring (all social programmes closed down for lack of funds), so she has now left FEISA feeling the Lord leading her into new areas of ministry which she began to explore earlier this year. (Blog entry to follow)

We thank God for the privilege of being involved in such a life changing ministry and for the amazing people we have worked with, learnt from and developed lasting friendships with during our time in FEISA. (Photos 1 and 2, Rup and Sam with staff and friends from FEISA. Photo 3, the inspirational team of UK volunteers who have faithfully supported FEISA over the years.)

The future after FEISA? We shall write more about this in our next blog!

Please pray for Rup as he completes the 2009 accounts and trains a local accountant and for the new areas of ministry that the Lord is leading us both into.

Thank you so much for your very valued prayers, love and support.

Challenge and Change

2009-04-06T09:47:00.000-07:00

After 5 years of developing educational programmes in indigenous communities, lack of funds means this will be our last year. However, as all the programmes involved training and provision of resources (teacher training, literacy, nutrition and Christian education) then we are encouraged that the communities where we have worked are able to continue without us. (Photo 1 shows the recipe books we gave to the women involved in the nutrition project.)

In February and March we gave training, supervision and the last of the resources to teachers and mothers from the 9 schools in the community of El Estribo where we were working last year. They were delighted with the preschool workbooks in their own language, Enxet, and the beautiful wooden calendars designed especially for their context (photos 2, 3 ,4, 5 and 6).

As I look back over these years I feel privileged to have worked with such an outstanding and dedicated team of professionals whose different but complimentary gifts have enabled us to develop such a wide variety of educational projects. I have learnt so much from each of them and have been made keenly aware of how important it is for the body of Christ to work together, appreciating the unique contributions of each member. It has been fascinating and illuminating to learn about indigenous culture and I feel honoured to have been able to get to know my indigenous brothers and sisters more closely. I am also humbled at the generosity of so many groups and individuals without whom these projects could never have been achieved.

As we finish the educational programmes this year, please pray particularly for the following projects:
1. Finishing the literacy resources for Enxet women
2. For the preschool workbooks we have produced to be approved by the Paraguayan Ministry of Education and funded by UNICEF so that all indigenous schools in Paraguay can benefit from them.
3. For the Bible Society of Paraguay to approve our children's Bible resources and produce books based on the Creation story for all Enxet children.
4. For the teachers and women we have trained to be able to apply and adapt all they have learned and make the most of the resources we have given them.
5. For funds to be able to do more supervision and support visits to the 9 schools in El Estribo.

New Anglican Bishop of Paraguay

2009-04-06T07:25:00.000-07:00

After 16 months without a bishop, there was great excitement on March 29th at the consecration of Paraguay's new Anglican Bishop, Rev. Peter Bartlett (Photos 1 and 2).

The service, presided over by Archbishop Greg Venables (photo 3), was attended by bishops from different parts of South America as well as pastors from all the Paraguayan congregations. It was wonderful to see the variety of cultures and nationalities represented, worshipping God together (photo 4).

Please pray for Peter and his wife Sally as they settle into this new culture and especially for Peter as he begins this hugely demanding role. The Church and all its ministries in Paraguay are deeply affected by the economic crisis so pray for wisdom and strength for him as he leads the church forward in these challenging times.

Training indigenous teachers and mothers in Paraguay

2008-12-13T07:55:00.000-08:00

• On average indigenous children receive only 3 years schooling

• Only 58% of teachers in these communities are indigenous and most of these have little or no teacher training

• 91% of teachers do not have materials in their pupils' native language

• Illiteracy is 8 times above the national average

The harsh consequences of this are that communities are losing their language and cultural identity and children are not receiving the quality of education they need to prepare them for their future.

After a plea for help from an indigenous community in 2005, FEISA began a pre-school teacher training programme with an emphasis on learning through play – a revolutionary concept for indigenous teachers who tend to use traditional rote-learning methods.

We soon realized that what these communities most lack is training and resources as the remoteness of the schools and high expense make provision of these very difficult. We made sure that all resources were appropriate to the indigenous context and produced worksheets to develop pre-writing skills, mathematics and literacy, all in their native language, Enxet (photo 2). The aim of the programme is to provide a holistic education to enable children to grow in all aspects of their development. At the request of the community, who asked us to provide Christian education, we also produced the first ever Bible materials for children in Enxet based on the Creation story (photo 3).

This year we extended the programme to a new Enxet community, El Estribo, working with 9 indigenous schools training pre-school teachers and volunteer mothers – 17 people in total (photos 4 and 5). Along with the training, the schools were also provided with all the teaching resources and furniture they needed - many children were sitting on planks of wood for lack of tables and chairs.

The response of the teachers and children has been encouraging and heartwarming. They said that this is exactly the training and resources they have needed for years but no-one has shown any interest in them before. The children now rush to school in the morning excited to play and learn and do not want to leave at the end of the day! The training programme, with its emphasis on involving mothers in the education of their children, has enabled schools to reinforce the native language and culture where the teacher is not indigenous (photos 6, 7, 8 and 9).

We thank God for the generosity of the many donors that have made this project possible and we continue to trust Him for the funds we need to continue the project in coming years. Over 200 indigenous children have benefitted so far and many more young lives can be transformed if we are able to extend this work to other communities.

Hope and High Expectations in Paraguay

2008-07-16T17:09:00.000-07:00

Perhaps the most significant event to happen in Paraguay since the overthrow of the dictator Stroessner in 1989, was the election of a former Catholic bishop, Fernando Lugo, as President of the Republic in April this year.

The Colorado party has dominated Pargauayan politics for 60 years and is part of the reason why Paraguay is one of the most corrupt countries in the world. No-one thought it possible for another party to win.

Fernando Lugo was a missionary with indigenous people in Equador for 5 years and after he became a bishop dedicated his time to championing the cause of the poor in the poverty stricken north-east region of Paraguay, San Pedro. However, he came to realise that to make a significant difference he would need to fight corruption and change policies. So when he was asked to run for President as part of a coalition party called the Patriotic Alliance for Change, he accepted. This was not an easy decision as legally a bishop cannot be head of state. He was forced to resign from the priesthood, at least during his 5 year presidency, after which he hopes to be reinstated. The Vatican were suitably unimpresssed, accusing him of disobedience, and have yet to give their final response to Lugo's decision.

Though Lugo has no political experience, the Paraguayans were desperate for change and disallusioned with all the corruption they see around them. In a country which is now the 2nd poorest in South America, where extreme poverty is on the increase, Lugo's heart for the poor won the hearts of the people. The press have become quite taken with his Jesus sandals!

Hope and expectations are high in the country, but he will need a great deal of prayer when he takes office this August. Strongly influenced by liberation theology (God's preferential option for the poor), he has committed himself to addressing the enormous inequality of income distribution: "There are too many differences between the small group of 500 families who live with a first-world standard of living while the great majority live in a poverty that borders on misery." Already he has received various death threats.

Though a political novice, he is a man of principle with a genuine desire to fight corruption, poverty and inequality. This is the best news for Paraguay in a long time.

Music Month

2008-07-16T16:39:00.000-07:00

Bryan Adams

It's not often you get world famous musicians coming to Paraguay so we couldn't miss the opportunity of seeing Bryan Adams in concert in April. The venue, however, must have been a bit of a let down for him. Having performed at the O2 arena in London he was relegated to a rundown tennis court on the outskirts of Asunción here in Paraguay! The intimate setting made for a fantastic concert though and Bryan lived up to all expectations.

U2 3D in BA

Rup was hugely disappointed to miss U2 in concert in Buenos Aires last year. So when he discovered the same concert was being shown at the new IMAX theatre in 3D in April he had no intention of missing it again.

So we travelled to Buenos Aires for a romantic weekend, put on the 3D goggles and experienced a spectacular and deeply moving concert. 3D technology has certainly moved on since the Beano comics and Jaws experience! If you're a U2 fan it's not to be missed, and if you're not then just go to Buenos Aires...it's a treat in itself!

New Year's News 2008

2008-03-18T12:21:00.000-07:00

Degree Course is Launched

As FEISA's activities expand we both arrived back in Paraguay in the New Year and hit the ground running. In March we begin the long-awaited 2 year degree extension to the 3 year diploma course. Our new degree course will qualify students to become leaders in educational institutions and thus enable them to have a bigger impact and generate change in Paraguayan education. We were amazed and delighted to discover we now have 27 students enrolled for the course!

Oil Company Visit to FEISA

One of FEISA's largest donors is a multinational oil company based in London who sent one of their directors to pay us a surprise visit in March. He was able to meet and chat to 8 of the scholarship students who would have had no chance of studying to become teachers had it not been for their support. (See photo taken with him and the FEISA staff and scholarship students below.)

Yellow Fever Outbreak

In the middle of February, there was an outbreak of yellow fever in Paraguay, for the first time in 30 years. This sent communities into panic as people in their neighbourhood were diagnosed with the disease. It is carried by the same mosquito that carries dengue fever, but is much more severe because it has a 50% mortality rate. There is a vaccine, but when the outbreak began, there were not enough vaccines in Paraguay. Other governments donated or lent what was needed, but the help was slow in coming and there were long queues of angry people at health clinics in the meantime. The Government has now provided free vaccines to immunise everyone and the outbreak seems to have been contained. Sam eventually found a hospital with the vaccine and Rup was jabbed in the UK!

Introducing Samantha Ester

2008-03-18T11:18:00.000-07:00

My friend and colleague Ana gave birth to Samantha Ester on February 5th 2008. She is the first Paraguayan girl to be named Samantha which caused some confusion at first. When I texted everyone from the hospital with the message "Samantha's arrived!" they all thought I was announcing my own arrival in Paraguay!

Mum doing well.

Proud and delighted godmother!

End of year news in photos

2007-12-15T14:24:00.000-08:00

Our last mobile play scheme of the year was for children with Aids who have been abandonded by their parents. The couple who run the home wanted to do something special for their children as an end of year celebration and said this was the answer to their prayers. This year over 1800 children from poor and disadvantaged backgrounds have had the opportunity to experience the joy of learning through play through FEISA's play scheme.

7 month old David was handed over to the home by his mother, who has full blown Aids and lives on the street. With the care and hugely expensive medication he is receiving to prevent Aids developing, the doctors say his future is very hopeful.

Thanksgiving service for graduating students. Each is given a rose as a symbol that they should be the aroma of Christ to the children they teach.

Rup with Pastor Augustin at the Thanksgiving service.

Graduation. FEISA's top students from 2006 and 2007. This year 13 students graduated bringing the total to 75 since FEISA began.

Andrea graduated second in her class and has been offered a job teaching in a Christian school in Oxford in 2008. She hopes to bring back all she learns to enrich her teaching in Paraguay and our curriculum in FEISA.

Rup with his admin team at the Christmas staff meal.

FEISA produces first Bible materials for children in Enxet

2007-10-07T11:35:00.000-07:00

We asked you to pray for an indian translator for the educational materials we are producing for Enxet speaking indigenous communities. The Lord provided an excellent translator called Remigio who has turned out to be a gifted teacher as well! (Photo 1) In September we were thrilled to launch the Bible materials we have been producing on The Creation Story. These consist of Bible stories, songs, flashcards specially designed for the indigenous context, prayers, activities and lesson plans all in Enxet (photo 2). They are the first of their kind for Enxet children.

We trained Remigio how to use the materials once he had translated them. Then he taught them to an indigenous Preschool class, training the teacher in their use at the same time (photos 3 and 4). We were delighted to see the enthusiastic response of the children and the effectiveness of the Bible materials. 10 other communities have heard about the project and have asked for the training and materials for their children. We hope to do this next year.

Please pray for wisdom and the resources to extend this project to other communities. We also hope to produce further Bible materials based on the life and miracles of Jesus next year.

October News 2007

2007-10-07T08:08:00.000-07:00

Emergency Prayer for Paraguay
The unusually long period of drought that has hit Paraguay is having disasterous effects on the whole country. Fires have caused the destruction of 1 million hectares of forest and farmland and left over 40,000 families without food. Many have lost their homes and the fires are still raging in the Chaco. (Photo 1)

The severe water shortage is causing illness and difficulty in finding food amongst hundreds of people in indigenous communities. There is now a petrol and gas crisis as Paraguay's principal river is too low to allow large ships to bring oil in. This has resulted in fewer buses running, which is the chief mode of transport for the majority of Paraguayans. There is also a milk shortage brought on by the drought and fires. All this has lead to rising fuel and food prices which Paraguayans are barely able to afford.
Please pray for abundant rain in the whole country and for the speedy provision of fuel and other necessary resources.

Visitors
We were delighted to receive a visit from David and Ann Varley - the chief fundraiser for the Mobile Play Scheme vehicle - in August. (Photos 2 and 3 with vehicle and FEISA staff and students.) FEISA students were deeply moved when Ann told them what people in the UK are doing to raise money to enable to them all to have high quality, affordable teacher training and to benefit needy children in Paraguay through their teaching and FEISA's social projects.

We were all particulary amused by the following sign David discovered in the men's toilet in a Paraguayan restaurant! (Photo 4)

In September Sam's Mum and her partner Tony came to visit and we had a great time travelling around Paraguay as well as visiting some of FEISA's social projects. (Photos 5 and 6 in the Chaco and at the mobile play scheme)

Children's Day
August 16th is Children's Day in Paraguay and FEISA ran a mobile play scheme for 50 children from Asuncion's largest shanty town. Here we discovered Rup's mistaken vocation working with spreadsheets! (Photos 7 and 8)

Other indigenous projects
Sam encountered her first baby crocodile on a recent visit to the Chaco (photo 9). After I attempted to kiss it, an indigenous lady showed me a deep scratch she had just received from the innocent looking reptile!

Please pray for us as we finalise our literacy, preschool and nutrition and health projects in November and as we begin our project with the Ministry of Education to set up an indigenous play scheme in the community of Yatnata and train the mums to run it.

Meeting the Presidents

2007-08-12T11:42:00.000-07:00

During the month of July, I had the privilege of travelling to Iowa, in the USA, to attend a Masters summer programme in Education at the generous invitation of a Christian university called Dordt College. I went with my Paraguayan friend and colleague, Ana, for whom the trip was a once in a life time experience, having never travelled outside of South America. (Photo 1 visiting Mount Rushmore with the first American Presidents.)

Ana only received confirmation of her visa one week before travelling so last minute arrangements were quite stressful. We left Paraguay exhausted and not knowing what to expect, particularly Ana who left 3 children behind. We found ourselves in a beautiful, peaceful, small town in the heart of the Midwest - corn country - with wonderfully warm and caring people and a town that did not have a blade of grass out of place! We read in the local paper that people were being asked to report any neighbours that had weeds growing in their garden! That would appear to be as bad as crime gets in this town! (Photo 2)

What we experienced was God´s provision in the most incredible ways. The course consisted of 3 modules: Week 1 Spiritual Formation in the Classroom; Week 2 Current Issues in Education; Week 2 Structuring Curriculum. (Photo 3 with our classmates.) All 3 modules were outstanding and we learnt more than we could digest in just 3 weeks. We plan to begin implementing some of what we learnt over the next few months as the leadership team looks again at the vision, mission and educational goals of FEISA.

On the second day we investigated the possibility of doing some tourism, only to discover, disappointingly, that Sioux Centre had neither a tourist information nor a single bus to take us anywhere! Later that day, in the supermarket, a kind, elderly man stopped to ask where we were from and invited us to tea. As we got to know Lawrence we learnt that he was a Christian and his wife had recently died from cancer. From this moment on we had no opportunity to feel bored or lonely as we experienced his wonderful kindness and hospitality taking us out for meals and picnics with his friends and family. To our amazement, he offered to take us touring in South Dakota , where we stayed with yet more generous and kindhearted people who took us to Spearfish canyon (photo 4), Mount Rushmore (photo 5 with Lawrence) and Crazy Horse (photo 6 Native American history.) It was beyond anything we could have asked for or imagined. He was truly heaven sent.

All our thanks to everyone who prayed for this visit. Our prayers for visas and finances were miraculously answered and the experience was a truly memorable one. We came back refreshed and inspired and would now appreciate your prayers for wisdom to implement all we learnt in ways that are appropriate for the context of Paraguay. Please also pray for our dear friend Lawrence as he adjusts to life after the recent loss of his beloved wife Audry.

May News 2007

2007-05-15T09:40:00.000-07:00

Family Holiday around South America
In April Sam's brother and sister in law came out to visit us. (Photo 1 Rup, Sam, Margaret and Paul) We had a fantastic time from Tango shows in Buenos Aires, to visiting indigenous communities in Paraguay to experiencing the spectacular Iguacu Falls from a helicopter in Brazil. (Photo 2) It was their first visit and a wonderful opportunity for them to meet our friends and experience something of our very different world here. We hope it won't be their last! (Photos of holiday on side bar)

Rup's 5 minutes of fame
It has been a rollercoaster ride for Analu in the competition "Singing for a Dream" but the public keep voting for her to stay! She was finally beaten last week by Paraguay's most popular footballer but she is back again this week with another opportunity to be voted back into the show! (Photo 3, Sam, Analu, Ana (her mum) and Rup.) It has been great fun going to the show to support her and Rup was delighted when he actually got on national TV with his Hola Madre (Hello Mum) poster and was beamed all over Paraguay! (Photo 4)

FEISA News
Many thanks to all who have been praying for us. Sam's laptop was returned within the week, we now have 19 students in the first year and the dengue epidemic has calmed down, helped by the sudden drop in temperature in May. We have also made the decision to delay the start of the degree course until March 2008, giving us plenty of time to prepare it well and publicise it widely.

We now have 53 students in FEISA and had a great day on 14th May at the student and staff integration camp. Rup found a new vocation as panel judge taking his lead from the outrageous comments made on "Singing for a Dream." He was nicknamed "Ruperto Rubin" which is Paraguay's equivalent of Simon Cowell! (Photo 5 Rup with his Admin team)

Sam has been invited to the USA in July with Ana (photo 3), a Paraguayan friend and colleague, to attend a Masters summer course in Christian Education at Dordt College in Iowa. As we have both been very involved in the developing of FEISA's Christian curriculum then the trip would greatly enrich our work. Please pray for the financing of this trip and Ana's entry visa which is not easy to obtain from Paraguay.

We are very pleased with the progress of the indigenous projects but have seen the need to translate the educational resources we are producing into the Indian language, Enxet. Please pray for the right translator to be found and also for the funding application which was sent off this month to cover the cost of the projects.

FEISA provides Literacy Programme for Indigenous Women

2007-04-15T08:31:00.000-07:00

We were greatly encouraged by the 50 people from the indigenous community of Yatnata who turned out in March to sign the agreement to work with FEISA this year. (Photo 1)

What excited them most was the prospect of having an adult literacy programme for the first time ever in the community. 2 teachers in the community have volunteered to run the literacy programme three times a week after school. FEISA is providing the programme (in their Indian language, Enxet), the resources, training for the teachers and supervision.

At 4:00pm, when school finishes, 23 women and 7 men are waiting outside the classroom eager to begin their lesson. (Photos 2, 3 and 4) They need to make the most of the daylight as the community has no electricity.

The teachers have shown tremendous commitment and the community are simply thrilled with the programme. It is hard for us in the UK to comprehend what it means for an adult to be illiterate and have the opportunity to be able to read and write. A Paraguayan lady that Sam was teaching to read said through her tears, "It's like I was blind and now I can see."

FEISA will evaluate the programme in November and, if it has been successful, hope to take it to other indigenous communities, where we have already had requests from women desperate to learn to read and write. Please pray for the teachers, whose role is vital, and for wisdom for FEISA to adapt the programme to the needs of the community if necessary.

Rup and Sam on National TV...almost.

2007-04-05T12:11:00.000-07:00

It's something similar to Pop Idol, only the contestants sing in order to have a dream fulfilled. This is the latest popular TV programme to hit Paraguay and it's called Singing for a Dream (Cantando por un Sueño).

10 members of the public are selected according to their singing ability and their dream. They are then paired up with a Paraguayan celebrity with whom they sing in an attempt to win the competition. The public vote each week to determine which couple will be eliminated. The prize is the fulfillment of your dream.

Out of the 660 people who auditioned for the programme, one of the selected 10 contestants is the daughter of our close friend and work colleague, Ana Maria Demestri. Her name is Analu and she is the youngest contestant - only 18 years old.(Photo 1) She is a wonderful Christian girl with a beautiful singing voice. Her dream is to fully equip a sparsely resourced rehabilitation centre for drug addicts. Her Paraguayan celebrity singing partner is an ex-drug addict and plans to do talks with her in schools and on the radio to educate young people on the dangers of drug use.

We were delighted when Analu got us tickets to see the show live last night.(Photo 2) However, in true Paraguayan style they gave out 150 tickets and set out only 100 chairs. We were able to stand at the side but sadly Rup's hand-made "Hello Mum!" poster was not caught by the cameras! It was a unique and memorable experience, not least to see the way the presenter interspersed his commentaries with sudden advertisments for everything from chocolate eggs to ladies sanitary towels! Somehow I don't see it taking off in the UK. We'll keep you posted with Analu's progress in the competition.

FEISA working with International Development Bank to help Indigenous communities

2007-02-25T08:57:00.000-08:00

In 2005 the indigenous Enxet community in Yatnata requested help from FEISA to improve their Preschool education. Indian teachers have no formal teacher training, the communities have no money for educational resources and children receive on average only 2 years schooling. Photo 1 shows an indigenous home, where there is no electricity, running water or sanitation.

In 2006 FEISA received a donation that enabled us to provide an 8 month training programme for 4 teachers and 10 mothers in Early Years teaching methods as well as furniture and educational games and resources for the classroom. (See photos 2 and 3 which show the Preschool classroom before and after FEISA's involvement.)

The 1st grade teacher commented that: “The community has been suffering from poor teaching in Preschool for years. Without a firm educational foundation it is very difficult for the children to advance in their learning. This project is wonderful and just what the community needed for its children to progress in their education.”

We were thrilled to see the results of the project. Hygiene improved as children learnt to wash their hands and parents told us that the children now love going to school and are learning more. The mums involved in the training have also benefited as they have grown in confidence and have started speaking up at community meetings to fight for their children's educational needs.

FEISA has been asked to continue our work with the community and also provide a literacy and numeracy programme for the women, who have realised that to help their children they need more education. Most can't read or write. As the saying goes, "Educate a woman and you educate a community." We have also been asked to take the programme to 5 other schools in another indigenous community.

We were encouraged in February to receive the news that the Ministry of Education and International Development Bank accepted our request for funding to set up the first ever indigenous play scheme in the community of Yatnata. So we have 4 indigenous projects planned for 2007!

We need great wisdom to manage the projects in culturally sensitive ways. Sam is coordinating the work and feels rather daunted! Your prayers are very much appreciated.

February News 2007

2007-02-24T10:18:00.000-08:00

Mysterious Silence
Apologies for our long silence. We were home for Christmas and illness in the family caused us to focus our time and attention here. We're both back in Paraguay now in time for the start of the academic year though Sam's journey was somewhat of a nightmare. Though it has always been Rup´s dream to get his flight cancelled and be put up in a hotel, it certainly was not Sam's! I can honestly say it's not all it's cracked up to be, though at least I was given a suite. But the worst was arriving in Buenos Aires to discover the flight attendents had removed my laptop from the cabin hold during a stopover in Sao Paulo as they thought it might be a bomb! Being fast asleep, I was totally oblivious to the announcements asking who the bag belonged to! No-one thought to wake me up! One week later, I remain laptopless. Please pray for its speedy return.

FEISA news
Please pray for all the staff as we begin the academic year and especially for Rup with the financial end of year procedures. So far we only have 10 1st year student applications for the diploma course and need a minimum of 20 to run the course. Photo 1 shows us with our FEISA colleagues.

Degree Course breaking news
Great news! Our degree course has been given the go ahead to start in April. Please pray for Estela and Gloria, the Head and academic coordinator seen in the front right of the photo, to make wise decisions in their hiring of teachers and organisation of the timetable. Pray also for the minimum number of 20 students needed to run the course.

Dengue Epidemic
There has been a lot of rain in Paraguay since the beginning of the year, which is wonderful for the crops and wells in the countryside. Unfortunately it has also caused an outbreak of dengue fever, which is a viral infection transmitted by stripy mosquitoes (photo 2) with symptoms of high fever, nausea, backache and severe headaches. It can prove fatal if the patient is old or has had it before. There have been over 12,000 cases of the disease since January including 4 deaths. Unfortunately there is no vaccine for dengue fever.

Please pray for the clean-up operation being carried out by the authorities which includes emptying all standing water and spraying insecticide to keep the mosquito population down. Having recently returned to Paraguay, Rup and I are prime targets for blood thirsty mossies so please pray for our protection as well as the staff and students of FEISA.

Vehicle Donation for FEISA's Mobile Toy Library

2006-11-03T18:28:00.000-08:00

There has been great excitement in October with the purchase of our own vehicle for the Toy Library and our work amongst indigenous Indians in the remote Chaco region (photo 1). It follows a year of intense fundraising by adults and children from churches and schools all over the UK, inspired and coordinated by Ann Varley from St Peter's Church, Oundle. We definitely felt it was heaven sent as it is perfectly equipped for every aspect of our work.

The aim of the Toy Library is to provide children from poor schools and neighbourhoods with the opportunity to learn through play (photo 2). This means transporting the games and toys all over the city (photo 3) as well as bringing the children to the Play Scheme if they live too far away (photo 4). For children who spend their days washing windscreens on the street corner to feed their family, this is often their only escape and education. One such child who attended the scheme asked us, "Why are you so kind to children?" The love and personal attention they receive is new to many of them.

We would like to say a HUGE thank you to everyone who has been involved in this immense undertaking. You cannot imagine the joy that the play scheme brings to these children. The vehicle has both facilitated our work and enabled us to extend it.

"God is not unjust. He will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them." Hebrews 6:10

November News 2006

2006-11-02T04:49:00.000-08:00

Degree Course Application

Thank you so much for your prayers. Every aspect of our application has now been accepted by the Universities' Council and we are at the final hurdle - an inspection of the premises. We have been told to start promoting the degree course for next year which is a very positive sign.

Please pray that the inspection would take place quickly and give us the final seal of approval we need.

Visit to Yatnata Community

On November 18th, Sam makes her final visit to the indigenous community of Yatnata where we hope to collect traditional Enxet songs, stories and games from the community to incorporate into their preschool programme next year.

The Paraguayan Ministry of Education is now interested in our work amongst the Indians. They have invited FEISA to apply for government funds to set up a contextualized Toy Library in Yatnata. They would like to monitor our work and learn from us. There is nothing like filling in a government application to test your patience to the limit! We wait to see if our project is approved.

Please pray that the community would bring plenty of ideas to share and that the trip would be a positive experience for everyone, including the Ministry of Education who have asked to accompany us!

Publicity and Promotion

Please pray for Rup has he prepares the budget for next year and coordinates all the publicity and promotion for FEISA for 2007. We need to be attracting 25 students for the teaching diploma course and 20 for the degree course.

Paul Young and Ronan Keating in Paraguay

2006-10-02T09:39:00.000-07:00

If you’re anything like us you’re thinking, “Sure, via satellite!” However, on 21st of September they really were in Paraguay with other well known international singers to participate in a concert called “Music against Hunger” (Musica vs Hambre).

Organised by the First Lady of Paraguay in conjunction with the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, the aim was to "raise awareness of poverty and hunger in Paraguay and money to finance sustainable projects designed to help small-scale farmers produce more food for their families and communities". It was totally ground breaking, being the first concert of its type in a developing country.

It was a spectacular event with over 70 Paraguayan musicians forming the orchestra and first rate artists from the UK, Ireland, Latin America, Israel and Italy. The Paraguayans (not renowned for their organisational skills!) excelled themselves and put on a concert that easily rivalled Live Aid. People were even given free Paraguayan flags and plastic fluorescent rods to wave around enthusiastically! We wait to see how the money is spent and the impact it makes on some of the 32% of Paraguayans who live below the poverty line.

I know Paul Young is not Bono and U2 but hey, you’ve got to start somewhere!

Toy Library goes to Argentina

2006-09-12T08:46:00.000-07:00

We were very excited though rather daunted to be invited to do a workshop on the Toy Library at the ACSI (Association of Christian Schools International) conference in Santa Fe, Argentina from 7th-10th September.

Four of us went - Fiona, Ana, Samantha and Noemi.(Photo 1) We arrived with furry teeth in a rather dishevelled state on Friday morning after a 14 hour overnight bus journey with lots of loud snoring and very little sleep. Travelling on a bus with 8 suitcases full of toys is quite a challenge!

Our 2 workshops were well received and it was great fun to watch the Director of ACSI Latin America (photo 2) and participating teachers (photo 3) return to their childhood days and play enthusiastically in the Toy Library. The difficult part was removing them! Many said they hoped to start a Toy Library in their school.

We even had time to do some sightseeing along the beautiful river front of Santa Fe before our 14 hour bus journey back to Asuncion. (Photo 4)

We had many hair-raising moments with power cuts, broken powerpoint projectors and technical hiccups but we experienced the Lord´s faithfulness in a wonderful way. Thank you for your prayers.

Rup & Sam Holidaying in UK

2006-09-10T19:47:00.000-07:00

General News August 2006

2006-09-04T19:06:00.000-07:00

We had a relaxing holiday in stunning Provence with Rup´s family in July and even managed to squeeze a few days in England to enjoy time with Sam´s family and the heat wave!

Degree Course application.

Our degree course has finally been accepted by the Evangelical University and is currently with the Ministry of Education and Universities´ Council awaiting their approval.
Please pray for a rapid decision that would enable us to promote the course this year and open it next March.

The Ministry of Education has introduced a new Early Years curriculum and in July FEISA was selected to pilot the new teacher training programme. FEISA was chosen because, according to the Head of Early Years Education at the Ministry, it is ”the best Early Years teacher training college in Paraguay.” Although this is a great privilege for us, it also presents a huge challenge. Many of our subjects have to be changed or adapted. Teachers are having to rewrite their curriculum.

Please pray for the Head, Estela, and the Academic Coordinator, Gloria, as they co-ordinate these sudden changes and for wisdom for the teachers to know how best to restructure their courses in the light of the new requirements..

Librarian

FEISA needs a new librarian but trained librarians are in very short supply.
Please pray for the right person to be found.

The Toy Library goes to Argentina.

Following on the success of our Toy Library workshop at the Association of Christian Schools conference in Asuncion in May, we’ve been asked to do the same in Argentina. This is an honour and a challenge. We don’t know the teachers and need wisdom to pitch the presentation accurately.

Pray for the preparation, safe travel and presentation on the 8th and 9th September of teachers Ana, Noemi, Samantha and Fiona.

The Yatnata Preschool Training Project

This continues to go well, with Indian teacher Esteban implementing the new teaching routine, strategies and resources. The Indian mothers are helping faithfully. Bible stories in their own language will be introduced this month.
Please pray for the translation of these and the next training visit on 22nd and 23rd September of teachers Marisol, Noemi and Susana.

Third Year Students Visit to Chaco

Our Third Year students go on their visit to Indian schools from 25th-27th September. They will be preparing games and activities for the indigenous children in Yatnata.
Please pray for Ana and Samantha as they lead the group and that the students will be impacted by the needs they see in these marginalized areas and made aware of how much they can contribute.

Publicity and promotion for 2007

This month the Administration team begins the publicity campaign to attract next year’s students. Ana Demestri visits schools to promote interest in FEISA.
Pray for Rup as he coordinates all this and that God will use Ana´s presentations to attract the right students to the college.

Thank you so much for your prayers and support

Rup and Sam