August 2, 2002 |
August 2, 2002 |
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Today's ECHO activities brought to you by
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Mennonite Anabaptists have immigrated to Paraguay since the late 1920s. Land for agricultural pursuits was available, and the Paraguayan Government granted the colonists a Privilegium which gave them political autonomy and responsibility for "their own schools with German-language instruction, community law enforcement, separate economic organization and freedom from taxation, religious liberty, and exemption from military service." During the last decade, there has been some discussion in Asuncion that this Privilegium may be rescinded. On the left, there is a park the ECHOers visited which is dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the founding of the Fernheim Colony. |
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The ECHO delegation also visited the Unger Museum, which
tells the story of the Fernheim Colony from its beginnings in 1930. Pioneer
artifacts such as farming implements, tools, and dishes are found here.
The Hotel Florida, located across the street from the museum, also has
a movie entitled "Home for the Homeless" which details the difficult
beginning of the colony and its rise to relative prosperity. The film
shows President Stroessner attending the 50th anniversary celebration
of the Fernheim Colony
as a guest of honor. |
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ECHOers also walked to the Sanitarium Hoffmungsheim, a little Menninger Clinic in the Chaco, that treats patients from Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay. The unit is the only one of its kind in this region and offers a small zoo, nature walks, occupational therapy, and opportunities for spiritual and physical healing. In addition to the many staff members, there are two resident doctors who provide the latest in care for short and long-term patients. The facilities include a detoxification unit, a program for eating disorders, and a care unit for assisted living. Upon entering the grounds, ECHOers noted the sign pictured on the left with EIRENE, a Biblical word for "peace," accentuated in capital letters. |
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Filadelfia, 450 km northwest of Asuncion, in some ways resembles
towns in Western Kansas. However, Filadelfia produces and exports
dairy products and cotton as well as beef. The Colony Cooperative
here together with 2 others, one in Loma Plata and one in East Paraguay,
produce 60% of Paraguay's milk and dairy products. The Trans-Chaco
Highway, which runs from Filadelfia to Asuncion, is a lifeline for
the colony. |
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ECHOers visited two very different schools during the day. The Colegio Filadelfia, pictured on the left, is a private Mennonite school. It is unique because all of the students are bilingual and have classes taught in both German and Spanish. Students from the countryside come to study and stay in residential facilities on campus. Thirty to forty percent of the students at Colegio Filadelfia go on to attend college. During their tour, ECHOers visited with two students who had attended elementary school in Manhattan, Kansas while their father was a graduate student at Kansas State University. ECHOers also visited Yalve Sanga, Lengua for Armadillo Lagoon, an indigenous settlement begun as an outreach by Mennonites about 50 years ago. Members of the Chulupi (Ninacle), Lengua, and Toba tribes reside here. The Centro Indigenia Pedagogica attracts students from distances up to 100 kilometers, and these students live on campus in dorms during the school week and travel home on the weekends. The high school was started 5 years ago whereas the elementary school has been operating since the 1950s. Some of the students who are as young as 9th graders are married, so the school offers married housing as well. Like the students who attend the Colegio Filadelfia, the students at the Colegio Indigena, pictured on the right, are bilingual as they speak their native languages at home and Spanish at school. Upon graduation, 90% of the students at the Colegio Indigena are employed in a variety of trades taught as skills courses. |
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