“Women in this community seem to have awakened from a long sleep”

Mariana Ayala is a mother, grandmother, organizer and leader of the women in her community, Sawhoyamaxa, home to Enxet people in the Gran Chaco region of Paraguay. She has attended all training and workshops organized by CWS’ local partner, Pastoral Social Diocesana Benjamin Aceval (PSDBA), in her community and today plays a key role in both, motivating women to attend workshops, meetings and assemblies and use the new knowledge at home, farms and communities.

Recently, Mariana and other experienced women leaders were asked to share their stories and lessons with individuals from neighboring communities where the women’s empowerment training was about to begin. The goal of the training is to strengthen the bonds between women within the same village, enhance women’s leadership and promote an exchange of knowledge and mutual empowerment.

In her remarks, Mariana said, “I am happy to share my testimony with the women living in these communities. I want to encourage you to fight for our rights because we have Law 904/81, which establishes the statute of Paraguayan indigenous communities on our side, and we must use it as our tool.”

Mariana, who witnessed the historic struggle of women for land, proudly recalled, “We managed to recover our ancestral lands thanks to the bravery of women. Surely, you know or have heard of my community, Sawhoyamaxa.” 

With heartfelt sincerity, she shared the reason for her sacrifice to be present that day: “I am an older woman now. I was very happy when I received last week the invitation to come here today. I immediately accepted. Last night, I barely slept until 2:00 AM, taking care of a sick person. Few people have the patience to care for the sick, but we must be patient with others. I almost didn’t come today, but here I am, happy to see you all. This is my first visit to Buena Vista, and I come with the spirit to encourage you all so that together we can advance in defending our rights and developing our communities.”

Mariana is one of many inspiring stories. Mariza Galeano, a mother, grandmother and a leader among the women of the Yakye Axa village also participated in the training process carried out by PSDBA over the years and in her remarks to the women of Villa Nueva she said, “I want to share how happy I am with the Pastoral Social. Thanks to the training and workshops, the women in my community seem to have awakened from a long sleep. Now, we know our rights, we want them to be respected, and we strive to ensure our rights are upheld. We attend community meetings, participate, raise our voices and request things for the community because women have a different perspective from men. We better understand the needs of the community.”

Mariana Ayala and Mariza Galeano represent the voices of women in their villages and have become beacons of hope and determination for all rural women fighting for a more just and equitable future.

This program is supported by our local partner, Pastoral Social Diocesana Benjamin Aceval (PSDBA), with the financial support of Growing Hope Globally. To learn more about our work in Latin America, click here.