Former Youth Ambassador mentor now empowers Paraguay’s women entrepreneurs
By Eric House
Evelio Alegre is eagerly establishing himself as a leadership ambassador in his home country of Paraguay. After serving as a mentor in the Youth Ambassadors program in 2019, he was motivated to start a program that empowers women entrepreneurs in Paraguay to embrace their leadership potential.
Established in 2022, the Scale Up Digital Entrepreneurs program works with women in Paraguay to strengthen their business and digital skills through workshops, master classes, and mentorship — all free to the participants. It began as a project between Alegre and fellow exchange program alumni, whom he met through State Alumni Paraguay.
Alegre and his co-collaborators agreed that participating in exchange programs like Youth Ambassadors provides skill-building and professional networking that few people in Paraguay — particularly middle-aged women — experience.
“This is a locally led project. We cannot just go and tell them, ‘This is what you need.’ We ask them what they need, ask them their opinion, and try to put that into the project.
Their goal was to create a community for women who were not only entrepreneurs but mothers and caretakers who often didn’t have the time or access to resources to take their creative business ideas to the next level.
Through an online platform, Scale Up Digital Entrepreneurs provided access to courses on skills ranging from artificial intelligence and customer service to community-building and combatting imposter syndrome. In addition, participants could come together for in-person workshops, master classes, and networking opportunities.
“The first edition of Scale Up was nothing short of inspiring,” Alegre said. “We set out to empower 60 female entrepreneurs, but the response exceeded our expectations. Over 754 women applied, showcasing the enthusiasm and potential within Paraguay’s digital entrepreneurial landscape.”
Of the 754 applicants, 100 participated in the program’s first iteration in 2022, accumulating 7,505 hours of online training. Due to the program’s success, they received additional funding and completed a second cohort of 50 women from late 2023 to February 2024.
“By working on this project, I saw how one can truly impact lives. I want to learn more about how to start projects and ensure they’re impactful.”
Empowered with new skills and a budding network of like-minded women, participants have created their own networking group called Scale Up Community. This group allows them to continue building relationships and pathways to mentorship and peer-to-peer support.
Since the launch of Scale Up Digital Entrepreneurs, Alegre is proud that the needs and wants of the participants have been the priority.
“This is a locally led project,” he said. “We cannot just go and tell them, ‘This is what you need.’ We ask them what they need, ask them their opinion, and try to put that into the project. It’s been a journey of learning not only for them but for us as well.”
When he can, Alegre still supports Scale Up Digital Entrepreneur and Scale Up Community and hopes that it can become an annual program.
“By working on this project, I saw how one can truly impact lives,” he said. “I want to learn more about how to start projects and ensure they’re impactful.”
Alegre’s experience as a Youth Ambassador mentor had a clear impact on him and solidified his dedication to helping others gain the skills and agency they need to be leaders and changemakers.
“Youth Ambassadors [participants] don’t always come from a privileged background or have it easy,” he said. “And they come to the program and can learn so much about their potential. As a mentor, you get to help them realize that they’re capable of so much, and they learn the impact they could have.
“I hope more people apply to Youth Ambassadors, because it is awesome, and I think that they will definitely see the before and after,” he said. “They will never be the same after becoming an Ambassador. I encourage youth to have the guts to do it because it takes a lot of courage, but it is definitely worth it.”
Youth Ambassadors is a program of the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government. The program is administered by World Learning in partnership with Amigos de las Américas and Georgetown University CIED.
