InfoUp to 95 per cent of Paraguayans are mestizos - people of mixed Spanish and native American descent - although many of them speak only the language of the indigenous Guarani people.
The commercialisation of agriculture, high population growth and forest clearance in Paraguay have led to a dramatic increase in the number of landless families. This has boosted migration into urban areas, causing a rapid growth in shantytowns. Poverty affects some 60 per cent of the population.
BMS World Mission's involvement in Paraguay began in 2005 with three supported partner workers initiating the pre-school education programme (PEPE) in the country.