March 2019 Service Trip to Tobati, Paraguay
A Week of Shared Purpose and Joy
Team Tobati’s March 2019 Service Learning Trip marked the team’s 21st annual journey to Tobati, Paraguay. More than 80 students, teachers, and alumni arrived ready to work, learn, and connect, and they left having built both lasting structures and lasting friendships.
Throughout the week the group partnered with Macchi School students on projects that strengthened schools and community spaces across the district. They helped construct a new classroom at a rural grade school in Costa Alegre and a stone wall at Florida primary school. Teams improved the Macchi School garden, painted classrooms and bookshelves, refreshed the large children’s park in the church plaza, and supported work at the public hospital and medical outpost in Mompox. Toothbrushes and soccer balls were distributed to schools throughout Tobati. Students also spent time at brick factories, sugarcane fields, a family farm, wood-carving workshops in Rosado, and pottery studios in 21 de Julio, while planting trees and cleaning near the local stream.
Evenings and free moments filled the trip with cultural energy. The team lived with warm host families, shared traditional meals in student homes, learned Guaraní phrases, rehearsed dances, and celebrated at the kermés festival, Paraguayan Night, sports nights at the complex, hikes to the Tobatí hills, and the unforgettable Night of the Stars dance competition. A pool party and closing ceremony offered joyful final gatherings before the farewell.
A wonderful aspect of the trip were the relationships that were formed. American and Paraguayan students became teammates, dance partners, and true friends through daily work and play. They learned that consistent effort and open hearts create real change. They returned home with broader perspectives, deeper empathy, and the clear knowledge that todo es posible cuando actuamos con el corazón — everything is possible when we act with heart.
The March 2019 journey was a vibrant chapter in Team Tobati’s story, a week of service and connection whose light continues to shine in every project completed and every friendship formed.
Team Tobati’s March 2019 Service Learning Trip marked the team’s 21st annual journey to Tobati, Paraguay. More than 80 students, teachers, and alumni arrived ready to work, learn, and connect, and they left having built both lasting structures and lasting friendships.
Throughout the week the group partnered with Macchi School students on projects that strengthened schools and community spaces across the district. They helped construct a new classroom at a rural grade school in Costa Alegre and a stone wall at Florida primary school. Teams improved the Macchi School garden, painted classrooms and bookshelves, refreshed the large children’s park in the church plaza, and supported work at the public hospital and medical outpost in Mompox. Toothbrushes and soccer balls were distributed to schools throughout Tobati. Students also spent time at brick factories, sugarcane fields, a family farm, wood-carving workshops in Rosado, and pottery studios in 21 de Julio, while planting trees and cleaning near the local stream.
Evenings and free moments filled the trip with cultural energy. The team lived with warm host families, shared traditional meals in student homes, learned Guaraní phrases, rehearsed dances, and celebrated at the kermés festival, Paraguayan Night, sports nights at the complex, hikes to the Tobatí hills, and the unforgettable Night of the Stars dance competition. A pool party and closing ceremony offered joyful final gatherings before the farewell.
A wonderful aspect of the trip were the relationships that were formed. American and Paraguayan students became teammates, dance partners, and true friends through daily work and play. They learned that consistent effort and open hearts create real change. They returned home with broader perspectives, deeper empathy, and the clear knowledge that todo es posible cuando actuamos con el corazón — everything is possible when we act with heart.
The March 2019 journey was a vibrant chapter in Team Tobati’s story, a week of service and connection whose light continues to shine in every project completed and every friendship formed.
Team Tobati 2019 Slideshow
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Slideshow from past Team Tobati service trips
Batí Goods
Handcrafted, quality leather goods from Tobatí, Paraguay. Each sale helps Macchi students get into key English programs and achieve their dream of graduating from college. Learn more about Batí's mission at batigoods.com! *Use code: TEAMTOBATI to get free shipping and 20% off all items!