1. Godparenting scheme:

 - Sponsors fund the schooling costs of children in need. In particular, following the Christmas Actions organized by the College de la Planta in Sion and the Enfants First Foundation, 66 school children were sponsored in 2016. This number dropped to 58 in 2017 and 51 in 2018. This project requires continuity, the goal is to ensure the education and training of children until they reach the age of majority.

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2. Pa'i Puku Farm, Dairy / Cheese Factory:

 

- Since 2010, the herd has been maintained at some 26 dairy cows and one bull. They provide the Centre with 7,500 litres of milk a month. It is then consumed by residents in the form of milk, yoghurt or cheese.

 

The farm also has about 100 goats and pigs used to feed the residents of the Centre. The agricultural machinery acquired in 2014 makes it possible to harvest the hay necessary for livestock feeding.

 

Our consultant, the swiss agronomist Werner Gerber, ensures the proper training of farmers and cheese makers as well as the production of milk, cheese, yoghurt and hay. It is he who has brought us, since 2010, his professional skills in these areas. He is now also a member of the ASPP Committee.

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3. Fruit pulp project:

 -The residents' diet had already improved greatly thanks to the farm and dairy production. The schoolchildren, however, still lacked fruit. Indeed, fruit does not grow in the Chaco because of the salinity of the soil. The goal of this project is to bring fruits from Oriente, east of Paraguay, where they grow in large quantities. For this, the AASPP uses a cooperative of women who pick these fruits and turn them into pulp for transport to the Centre. The pulp is then mixed with yoghurt or eaten with bread made on site.

In 2017 and 2018, the association provided 2,400 kilos of pulp to the Center; by the end of 2019, it is planned to deliver 2000 kg. By 2020, we expect the Center to be able to finance this pulp through the profits from the farm.

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4. Empowerment of the farm

 - In 2018, Raul, a young Paraguayan from Pa'i Puku was chosen to be trained in Valais for 6 months, as part of an operation set up by Werner Gerber in collaboration with the State of Valais. After attending courses at the School of Agriculture of Châteauneuf, Raul worked throughout the summer at the Flore pasture, above Conthey, to complete his practical cheese training. He has been working since November 2018 to become the specialist responsible for farm management. This, always with the support of our on-site consultant, is in order to achieve the most efficient, profitable and autonomous farm operation possible. 

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