Photo By Sgt. Maj. Alejandro Licea | Marine Col. Michael D. Flynn, the Senior Defense Official and Defense Attache for the...... read more read more
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YASY CANY, Paraguay- Life in the small farming district of Yasy Cany in the Canindeyú Department is tough, and it shows on the faces of its 30,000 residents.
Located in the vast internal countryside located 160 miles outside of the capital of Asuncion, the town lacks many basic services and its infrastructure needs to be revamped.
Driving into town is quite a sight as poverty is truly visible. With small shops on one side of the road and a few rundown houses, shacks and restaurants on the other side, the livestock running the grounds along the road tends to be the most interesting part of the drive.
Unemployment is high and most families live on a monthly wage of $100 a month in order to feed a family of six and in some cases up to 10 people in one household.
To put it into perspective, many Americans can typically spend that amount if not more at their neighborhood restaurant or bar on any given night.
It’s safe to say life is not easy here and everyday is a struggle.
Its towns like these where members of the Paraguayan military and its Civil Affairs elements thrive and love to work in. This is their purpose and it has been since it was established eight years ago.
After several months of planning and with support from the Office of Defense Cooperation (ODC) at the U.S. Embassy in Paraguay and Special Operations Command South (SOCSOUTH) Civil Affairs, based in Homestead, Fla., a two-day Medical Civic Action Program, commonly referred to as a MEDCAP, was held June 1 and 2 in the area’s largest school.
More than 3,000 residents received social and medical services to include pediatrics, gynecology general medicine, optometry, ophthalmology, dentistry, immunizations, identification registration and family planning. In addition, laboratory and pharmacy services were also provided.
Paraguayan officials also felt the Canindeyú Department, located in the northeast part of Paraguay and bordering Brazil, was an important area to provide these services due to the poverty level in the region and in the wake of the massacres in nearby Marina Cue following a land dispute between land squatters and police leaving 17 dead, 11 peasants and 6 police officers, and 80 wounded in June 2012.
The event shook the confidence and trust among many of the residents toward the nation’s security forces, a misconception they want to change.
“We plan and execute these missions because we understand the needs of the people in places like this and these services are important to their livelihood,” said Paraguayan Col. Leonardo Ibarrola, the operations officer for Paraguay’s Civil Affairs team. “This is a very poor area, and we understand our role as part of the government is to make sure our presence is felt and help those in the country who don’t have much and need our assistance.”
In order to provide these essential services to residents living in country’s rural districts, the Paraguayan military works closely with a number of different government agencies such as the Ministry of Public Health, Ministry of Justice and various other agencies and civic groups to provide the support and personnel for such a complex operation and truly reflects Paraguayan’s "whole-of-government" approach.
Despite a rainy, cool weekend in the area, word of the event spread quickly throughout town. Some residents walked three and four miles to arrive at the school and others packed themselves in pickup trucks.
The Paraguayan military also provided transportation to the MEDCAP as it used its fleet of five-ton trucks to run a shuttle service in order to reach citizens living in the rural areas with no or limited road access to ensure as many people as possible could receive these services.
Sitting outside one of several classrooms, which were used as makeshift clinics during the two-day event, 74-year-old resident Anadeto Furrez, a father of eight children, patiently waited for his prescription for free medicine. Anadeto, who also suffers from cataracts, a clouding of the lens of the eye that impairs vision, was also given a new pair of glasses to help him improve his sight.
“This day is a miracle and a blessing,” said the grandfather of 35 grandchildren. “These are services we truly need, and I am very grateful to our military and the support from the U.S. We hope things start to get better and more jobs come to our town. This is a start!”
Along with support for the MEDCAP, the U.S. Embassy in Paraguay donated $15,000 worth of medicine and medical equipment to the town’s public clinic as well as an assortment of school supplies such as backpacks, coloring pencils, dry-erase boards among other items for two local schools.
The donation was a symbolic gesture by U.S. officials in Paraguay for continued cooperation between the allies for the people of Paraguay.
“The United States is committed to assist Paraguay and help improve the quality of life for all Paraguayans and build a lasting friendship based of mutual respect and cooperation between our great nations,” said Marine Col. Michael D. Flynn, the Senior Defense Official and Defense Attaché for the U.S. Embassy in Paraguay, during a small ceremony celebrating the event and donation.
Since 2008, the Paraguayan Civil Affairs section, which also teams up with the country’s national police during the planning and execution for these events, have averaged four MEDCAPs a year in ungoverned and under resourced areas across the country.
This event marked the 22nd time this type of operation was accomplished.
“These guys (Paraguayan Civil Affairs) are truly professional and have a passion for what they do,” said Army Sgt. 1st Class Hansel Delgadillo, who is the lead Civil Affairs planner for SOCSOUTH in support of the ODC in country.
Delgadillo has been working with his counterparts for the better part of three years and has seen the Paraguayan Civil Affairs unit develop each year.
“From planning to coordination and execution, they are really in control of each event they conduct, and the leadership demands nothing but the best to ensure every citizen is treated and cared for,” he said.
Paraguayan Civil Affairs planners, with support from SOCSOUTH, are already coordinating the concept of operations for another MEDCAP this September in another rural community.
There is no question living here is tough and will continue for the foreseeable future. However, during this past weekend, there were two expressions on people’s faces: pain and joy.
Blame the pain on the dentistry work, but with pain comes a healthy smile.
| Date Taken: | 06.06.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 06.06.2013 15:39 |
| Story ID: | 108186 |
| Location: | YASY CANY, PY |
| Web Views: | 339 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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