The migration of indigenous peoples to urban areas in Paraguay has produced two distinct faces: on one side, communities that have managed to settle with access to basic services; on the other, families living on the streets, exposed to risks such as violence and exploitation. An example of the first case is the Tarumandymi community, located in Luque, which houses about 500 people in 86 families, formed from 2008 and consolidated in 2012.
Valeriano Duarte, community leader and law student, says migration was driven by the expansion of soy farming using pesticides and by evictions based on disputed property titles. “The lands near our territory were rented to Brazilians to plant soy. They fumigated us,” he reports. The lack of basic services and opportunities, especially for young people, also contributed to the exodus.
In Tarumandymi, children have their own school and are beneficiaries of the Hambre Cero program, in addition to receiving food from the Ministry of Childhood and Adolescence every two weeks. Since January 2026, the community has had drinking water and, for a month, each family has had an electricity meter. The leader says they are seeking, through the Paraguayan Institute of Indigenous Affairs (INDI), a social tariff from the National Electricity Administration (ANDE). Nearby family health units (USF) guarantee access to basic care, and more serious cases are referred to the General Hospital of Luque, a half-hour drive away.
Despite the progress, Duarte highlights pending issues: “There is a lack of greater commitment from the state for the development of communities. Machinery, tools, training courses.” He mentions missed opportunities to exhibit their crafts abroad due to lack of institutional support. He also advocates offering civil rights courses for young people who face discrimination while studying in the city.
Ricardo Morínigo, from the organization Tierraviva, emphasizes that the recognition of urban indigenous communities was a long struggle. “State institutions, starting with INDI and the Ministry of Education, did not recognize that urban communities could exist.” He points out that, compared to rural communities, urban ones have greater state presence due to proximity to services, such as the Tekoporã program for the elderly.
Lawyer Natalia Rodríguez, also from Tierraviva, reveals that the average schooling of members of indigenous communities in Basic School Education is only 4.3 years, compared to the national average of nine years. Meanwhile, INDI's budget for 2026 exceeds G. 80 billion.
Morínigo recalls that the first indigenous groups that arrived in the capital settled near Cateura, on Cerro Guy, engaging in informal activities. The reality contrasts with that of Tarumandymi, which received an industrial oven and sewing machines from NGOs, generating income for the community.