This week, I began working with the Paraguay Duke Engage team. Our project has been tweaked, focusing on the research question of what the ITAIPU dam can do to resource Paraguay’s post-pandemic recovery and development. I wanted to join the program because of its focus on both energy as well as the effect of policy on social development.
Over the past week, we’ve spoken with Gustavo Setrini, Head of Solutions Mapping for the United Nation’s Development Programme in Paraguay. We also met with Gabriela Galilea, MIT’s 35 under 35 for Latin America. Both individuals explained the effect of COVID-19 in Paraguayan communities, and on the Paraguayan health system as a whole.
Paraguay’s prompt leadership and action against the COVID-19 pandemic during this time is a stark contrast with that of countries like Brazil, Nicaragua, and the United States. The effect of this pandemic disproportionately impacts individuals in which both healthcare and protective measures/materials are inaccessible. I am hopeful that an understanding of the limitations of policy, energy, and materials is a step in resourcing a post-pandemic recovery.
