Hello
I´m Pandora, the author of Not Just A Day In Paraguay. I always knew I wanted to share my adoption story simply becuase it´s a beautiful and happy story to tell. This book is not just my background, my story and my photographs from Paraguay, it´s my way of giving back to the world. I found that although it is not always obvious from the outside, extraordinary stories are most often found in the everyday, and this is my reminder that by engaging with each other’s stories, we build deeper connections with others and within ourselves. My hope is that this book sparks one of those connections for you!
Making of the book
I wrote and created most of this photobook between 2017 and 2019. Two children, moving countries and a career change later, I am only just publishing this project now in 2025.
There was so much I originally wanted to pack into this book, and therefore so much was left out, such as the healthcare work I´ve done in Paraguay as a physiotherapist, travels across the border and life in general outside of my direct family´s house. All of which I have lots of photos and great stories to tell - maybe I´ll save it for another day!
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Fundraising
My goal for this 1st edition of the book has always been clear; to publish my story as both a hardcover photobook and free e-reader so that everyone has access to my original story. And I want my family to benefit from this project, as it is also their pictures and their lives that have made the story so captivating, and because they need it the most - they need support now more than ever.
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How will I use the proceeds raised? The two campaigns (EUR and GBP) will run side by side until Christmas 2025, when I am next travelling to Paraguay. I will put the campaign money together with the profits from the hardcopy books (I will make 7,29€ per book). The first 1000€ raised will be split 50/50% between my family and me - to help me cover some of the costs of the website, domain, ISBN registrations, software licences and book proofs. The next 3000€ raised will go 100% directly to my family to be spent on building a proper brick toilet, a cow, chickens, and fishing gear for long-term self-sufficiency, food, clothes, and essentials for the children, medication for my brother´s epilepsy, a fridge and other basics ammenities that will significantly improve daily life and even seed money to set up a family-run business. Of the remaining money for this target I will use up to 25% to continue the legacy of this project, with a Spanish version, keeping the website up, and potential extended creative projects. After that, if the campaigns surpass their target goals, I will increase the targets to be able to give even more back to my family, and work on the dream of helping my mother build her first ever house made of bricks.