Juan David Latorre
The Ambassador of Paraguay in Spain, Ricardo Scavone, imposed on Tuesday the National Order of Merit ‘Don José Falcón’ to Father Angel and the teacher Maria del Carmen Hidalgo, for developing a work of solidarity with the most disadvantaged in this South American country.
During the award ceremony, the ambassador underlined the merits of both of them, of whom he said that, when he learned about the projects they were developing in Paraguay, “I could not stop thinking about the precept that says: Do good without looking at whom”. “Both of them,” he added, “from their respective places, with what they know and what they have built, have more than fulfilled this precept”.
Of Father Angel, Scavone highlighted that “during 2021 alone, through Mensajeros de la Paz, he has helped to take care of the daily needs and maintenance of a residence where elderly people without resources live”. In addition, this association, founded 60 years ago, “has supported the translation of school books to promote the education of the indigenous population, with 3,500 direct beneficiaries and more than 8,200 indirect beneficiaries”.
Professor Maria del Carmen Hidalgo, who belongs to the UNESCO Center of Murcia and has been carrying out social actions in Paraguay since 1996, was distinguished for the project ‘Improvement of school education for indigenous children’. The ambassador explained that it is “a pedagogical innovation project that includes the production, edition and distribution of bilingual didactic materials (in Spanish and in the language of the corresponding ethnic group), as well as teacher training and the training and involvement of parents in bilingual primary education”.
“For this reason,” Scavone concluded, “my country has considered it strictly just to recognize the noble, supportive and generous work that they promote in favor of so many Paraguayans from the most disadvantaged sectors of society.”
