Thank you for interest in working in a country known as the Heart of America. Paraguay is so called because of its location in the center of the continent. A poor country with a tragic history, Paraguayans nonetheless are gracious and receptive to the Good News of Jesus.
You can contact your travel agent or Visa Connections for more information on the visa process. Please note that there are fees associated with obtaining your visa and going through Visa Connections will result in a slightly higher fee as they will obtain the needed paperwork for you.
Project Sites
Volendam: This site is located 280 km north of the capital city of Asuncion. Travel time is approximately four hours, much of it on paved road.
Caaguazu: This site is located five hours east of Asuncion.
Housing
MMI teams stay in the homes of Mennonite families while on the project. The Mennonites are very hospitable, but conservative. It would be a nice gesture to bring a small house gift to your host family (like a box of chocolates, etc.).
Electricity
Electricity is 220 volts.
More About Paraguay
In the disastrous War of the Triple Alliance (1865-70), Paraguay lost two-thirds of all adult males and much of its territory. It stagnated economically for the next half century. The 35-year military dictatorship of Alfredo Stroessner was overthrown in 1989, and relatively free and regular presidential elections have been held since then. Paraguay is a constitutional republic with its capital being Asuncion.
Paraguay is in Central South America, northeast of Argentina, and is slightly smaller than California. The weather is subtropical to temperate; substantial rainfall in the eastern portions, becoming semiarid in the far west.
People & Economy
Currency: Paraguayan guarani (G)
Industries: sugar, cement, textiles, beverages, wood products.
Agriculture: products: cotton, sugarcane, soybeans, corn, wheat, tobacco, cassava (tapioca), fruits, vegetables; beef, pork, eggs, milk; timber.
Population: About 5.5 million
Ethnic groups: mestizo (mixed Spanish and Amerindian) 95%
Literacy: 92.1%
Religion: Roman Catholic 90%, Mennonite, and other Protestant
Language: Spanish (official), Guarani (spoken by most of rural population)
