Immigration into Paraguay

• On leaving the Soviet Union, all the refugees hoped to get to Canada. In Germany it became evident, that only a small percentage would be able to go there, because of restrictions on health. For the others, there was the option of Brazil or Paraguay.
• Paraguay had been a land receiving immigrants since the catastrophic end of the War of Triple Alliance in 1870. It was, for the country, a question of demographic and economic revitalization. Especially the western half of the country, the Chaco, was to be made productive by immigrants.
• Already in 1920 Mennonites from Canada had sent an expedition which entered this area from the river about 200 km inland. They decided that the central Chaco had good soil for agriculture. Following the enthusiastic report of expedition leader, Fred Engen, about 1.800 people in Canada sold their farms and moved to Paraguay in 1927, founding Menno colony. The MCC knew about this settlement, when the refugee problem in Germany pressed for a solution. There was plenty of land in the Chaco, Paraguay generously offered freedom from military service and there were no restriction on health, age or handicap of those who were to immigrate.