An Island In The Middle Of The Paraguay River - Parafina Eyewear

An Island In The Middle Of The Paraguay River

The scholarships of the Parafina Social Project help children and young people to go to school so that they can change their history and become useful professionals for society.

Near the Paraguay River, a few meters from the center of Asuncion, we find La Salle Fatima school; it is a very poor neighborhood and it hosts children and young people whose situation is unknown to almost everybody or wants to be ignored and who live with the fear of being evicted today or with the uncertainty of what will happen if the river continues to rise. Migrating, abandoning their homes, their spaces and living in shelters is the story of every year. Surviving, I would say, to the environment and society.

In the northern, things are not so easy; the lack of secure work makes it difficult for many families to support themselves economically because in most cases, children have to help their parents in some jobs, such as recycling or working with meat; sometimes the eldest child must take care of the house and of the other siblings as well.

The school is the only place of refuge to protect their childhood, to feel safe and accompanied. The accompaniment of a teacher is not only learning, in many occasions we must forget that role to become the emotional and psychological support of many of them and their families, leaving our own family aside to be able to accompany the student who needs it most.

If a pencil or a notebook is missing, we become experts in magic to knock on doors and try to get these supplies, because we know that for those students and their families at that moment it is not their top priority, and how to compete with Education vs. hunger?

Since the arrival of the scholarships from our Spanish friends we feel more accompanied in this great struggle to give the tools to these children and young people so that in the not too distant future their story will be different and they will be able to be professionals to help their families and be useful to society.

For us, Parafina is not just a brand, we know Samuel and we know of his great dedication, we had the grace to share with him and listen to him. His dedication to the project brought him to the heart of Latin America, where he arrived in Paraguay, going deep into the slums and getting to know each family personally, where he shared the table and was present in the environment where each of our children live and develop. We trust him and accompany him with the vision and mission of making this world a better place for everyone and the best way to achieve this is by betting on education.

For us this project is more than just selling glasses, we know that behind this there are thousands of faces that we do not know but somehow are part of our history. And all of you behind this dream symbolize that island where we know we can take refuge and that it is a safe harbor where together we will not sink.

Perhaps many do not see the great action you are doing by simply choosing a pair of glasses, but I want you to know that for each child and young person who is sponsored, it is an opportunity to change their whole environment, it is a smile and an assurance that far away someone is thinking about him or her…

For each one of you for choosing us, for betting on us, for education and a future for the children of today, for choosing La Salle Paraguay I thank you and may Ñandejara (God) always be with you.