Project Description
Paraguay, with one of the highest deforestation rates in the world, is home to the diverse Yvytyruzú reserve. Communities living within the reserve face extreme poverty and are often unaware of the land’s protected status, resulting in similarly high rates of deforestation. At the IAF, we support community-led approaches to expand economic opportunity and promote sustainable natural resource management. Our grantee partner, Organización Paraguaya de Conservación y Desarrollo Sustentable (OPADES), offers environmental education, leadership, and entrepreneurship training opportunities to youth in the Yvytyruzú reserve to bolster environmental stewardship and improve livelihoods.
| Project: | Location: | Years active: | IAF grant funding: | Counterpart commitment: | Direct beneficiaries: | Indirect beneficiaries: | Program areas: |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strengthening a youth network to promote conservation and sustainable development in the Yvytyruzu | Paraguay | 2019 – 2020 | $50,000 | $93,234 | 160 individuals | 1600 individuals | leadership and education natural resource management |
Recent News and Stories
Getting the Ball Rolling: Argentina’s Youth-Led Citizenship-Through-Soccer Program
Few would have imagined in the early days that former IAF grantee partner Fundación Defensores del Chaco would become a youth-led powerhouse mobilizing entire towns to advocate for themselves. But what started as a street soccer team became a space where young people and their communities could bring their problems and find solutions together.
Not Counting Chickens: Insights on Community-Led Development from Ramón Daubón
"Government is not separate from the people. “Government” is us. But the government doesn’t necessarily automatically carry out the will of the people. It responds to scrutiny. It is the responsibility of every citizen to know what leaders are doing," said Ramón Daubón, former IAF Vice President for Programs, in our recent conversation.
Grantee Ut’z Che’ Wins a United Nations Equator Prize
The Asociación de Forestería Comunitaria de Guatemala Ut’z Che’ is one of ten winners of the 2020 Equator Prize. For the seventh time in the prize’s history, the United Nations Development Program has recognized an IAF grantee for reducing poverty by sustainably managing natural resources.