Peace and Justice Service in Latin America (SERPAJ)
The organization Peace and Justice Service in Latin America (SERPAJ) has been in operation since 1974. With an ecumenical and humanitarian mission, the organization is not affiliated with any church or political party. Its goal is to reinforce communities and public organizations by encouraging citizen participation in the poorest parts of Asunción, such as Bañados.
Historically, Bañados was a marsh and also a garbage dump for Paraguay’s capital city, Asunción. Close to 100,000 residents live in the Bañados area. Housing is precarious and living conditions insufferable. Most locals collect garbage to sort and re-sell. On what meagre land they do have, they raise hens, pigs and cows. Others survive by fishing from the river, or cross it to sell supplies and black market clothing in Argentina.
In Paraguay, ongoing territorial militarization is merely heightening the repression of social organizations fighting for their rights. In Asunción, the construction of a dike almost five kilometres long, to serve the needs of a large-scale tourist complex, will involve the displacement of communities, and SERPAJ is supporting the legitimate claims of their inhabitants. SERPAJ advocates a culture of peace in which active non-violence is based on respect for human rights, social justice, gender equality and democracy.
Movimento Campesino Paraguayo (MCP)
During the days of Paraguay's dictatorship, subsistence farmers and landless peasants felt the need to join forces to protect their rights. This led to the formation of the MCP, a peasant movement that defends land rights and promotes small-scale farming. The MCP became a key partner of Development and Peace in 1999.
Today, with more than 11,000 members, the MCP has become one of the most important social movements in Paraguay. Women play a central role in the movement, in both political participation and in decision-making.
Today, the MCP's main goal is to promote agrarian reforms that would encourage food production for local people, and the local economy. Currently, 30 percent of the population survives on less than $2 a day, yet half of the country’s farmland is used to produce genetically-modified soya for export, a process that enriches only a few instead of feeding many. The agrarian reforms advocated by the MCP would contribute towards the eradication of poverty in Paraguay.
