ParCo grew out of the simple idea that “community-led” development can be more just, effective and lasting than “top-down” development.
In 2018, Juliet Lyon (who was leaving a leadership position in international development) and Ilidio Cole ( who had recently earned a bachelor’s degree in rural economics) teamed up to find solutions to the problem of plastic washing up on the beaches of Vilankulo. Together they started working with local communities to spark, design and sustain local solutions to various challenges.
The name ParCo is an abbreviation of “Parceiros Comunitários” which is Portuguese for “Community Partners.”
In 2018, ParCo was registered as Associacao dos Parceiros Comunitários - APARCO in Inhambane Province, Mozambique. NUIT tax ID: 700208796. Board Members: Ilidio Cole, Inacio Nhassengo, Juliet Lyon, Bernardo Matsinhe, Lima Zibane, Anita Huo, Dionisio Chitsumba, Arone Mapangule, Cristina Langa, Elisa Americo, Mateus Manhice
In 2022, ParCo was incorporated as ParCo Community Partners Inc. and registered as a 501c3 in Connecticut to provide profile building, fundraising and networking for the work in Mozambique. It’s Board Members are Juliet Lyon (President), Corey Lazar (Treasurer) and Lisa Chatman (Secretary)
Ilidio Cole
has been ParCo’s Project Coordinator since 2019. He holds a bachelors degree from the Eduardo Mondlane School of Rural Development (ESUDER) where he wrote his thesis on sustainable fishing. He grew up in a fishing family and still lives close to the ocean and manages several fishing dhows in his free time.
Juliet Lyon
moved to Vilankulo as a Peace Corps volunteer in 2004 after graduating with a degree in Public Policy from the University of Chicago and working for a year as a community organizer. She continued working in international development in Mozambique for over a decade after completing Peace Corps service. She eventually earned a masters from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs. As director of ParCo, Juliet focuses on development and partner relations, capacity building, paper based accounting, and best practices for holistic community led development. Juliet currently divides her time between Vilankulo, Mozambique and Falls Village, CT, USA.