Promoting Sustainability in Paraguay

A former member of the Clifton Family Church community, Yukinori “John” Sato, and son of Tateo Sato, former president of True World Marine, is helping to expand the reach of the ocean providence in Paraguay. John’s upbringing around True World Marine and ocean festivals held in Jersey City led him to Paraguay after spending seven years working as an engineer in the aerospace industry. According to John, “Rev. Sun Myung Moon believed that any company or organization should operate in service to the greater good. There was very little manufacturing capability in Paraguay when I joined Acuamundo. I saw an opportunity there to teach young Paraguayans the technological skills that I was fortunate to gain while working at the cutting edge of innovation in the aerospace industry.”

Acuamundo S.A. is a subsidiary of the New Jersey based Wonmo Marine, a venture founded as SA Investment and Trading by Tateo Sato in 2004 from inspiration by True Father to bring the know-how to Paraguay and to protect the waters and ecosystem of the Pantanal. Acuamundo is located on the riverbank across from Asuncion, the capital of Paraguay, in a small town called Chaco’i. Over the last few years, the company has gained a reputation in Paraguay as the local experts in fiberglass work from their accomplishments in building and exporting Good Go boats to the Japanese market. Based on this foundation, Acuamundo and Wonmo Marine are now working to promote sustainable development practices and technologies in South America.

Recently, John worked together with his Paraguayan colleagues to bring together the local industry, government, and community to hold an Ocean Family Festival and Expo. The event took place on October 27 and 28 with games, piñatas and performances and featured a symposium with presentations from local and foreign professionals to discuss the “Status and Potential of Water Resources in Paraguay.” One of the attendees, Federico Franco, former President of Paraguay, expressed particular interest in the electric propulsion technologies that Wonmo Marine is introducing to Paraguay.

In the spirit of True Parent’s teachings on service, Acuamundo and Wonmo Marine are using the proceeds from this public event to support the development of educational materials for natives in the indigenous language and the repair of the flood damaged facilities of the local elementary school. With such contributions to local education and by raising awareness about the importance of protecting the environment, John hopes to expand the workforce capability, raise the standard of living, and sow the seeds of sustainable development in Paraguay. Such infrastructure would allow for the country to become an example of harmony between man and nature for other nations to emulate.

To learn more about Wonmo Marine, you can visit their website at usa.wonmomarine.com.