2AREM PROJECT – ARGENTINA EMMANUEL
The 2AREM Distance Support project was born in 2020 from the collaboration between AFN and Fundación Emmanuel, which has been intervening since 1989 to help the most vulnerable families in the Urquiza Colony, Buenos Aires Province. Here, the Tía Kikí Community Center was founded in 2006, which aims to promote the integral development of minors and actions of community solidarity, through interventions in education and guidance and accompaniment to minors and their families.
DEFINITION OF THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL CONTEXT
Argentina is still marked by harsh economic crises, which, although a heavy legacy of past dictatorships and subsequent weak democratic governments, peaked with the 2001 default. Since that, moment, however, the situation has not improved, and not only because of the harsh impact of Covid: the real economy is stagnant, external debt is rising, and this is accompanied by galloping inflation, estimated today at 142 percent. The subsequent measures imposed by the International Monetary Fund to remedy the situation, however, contribute to intensifying the dramatic effects on the population. In fact, despite the fact that Argentina ranks 49th out of 187 countries in the Human Development rankings, more than 57 percent of the population – or 27 million people – live in poverty. This effectively means that the middle class no longer exists, or has greatly thinned, since even those who work with a stable contract do not earn enough to counter inflation, which erodes people’s purchasing power, and therefore fall into the poor segment of the population. Then to the latter belongs the 40 percent of workers in the informal economy, who are excluded from any actions to improve wages.
The province of Buenos Aires reflects the country’s profound socioeconomic inequality: the most vulnerable segments of the population are relegated to the periphery of urban centers, among which we find precisely Colonia Urquiza, in the municipality of La Plata. Here 16 percent of the inhabitants are in poverty and 6 percent are properly destitute. It is a semi-rural area, where ethnic heterogeneity and job insecurity lead to marked social differences and discrimination, especially against women, depriving non-regular foreigners of their rights.
GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION
The Argentine Republic, located at the southern and eastern tip of South America, occupies most of the Southern Cone. It has a population of 45.8 million, one-third of which is concentrated in the province of Buenos Aires, the country’s capital and largest stealing center. The municipality of La Plata is located 60 km southeast of the capital, has 655 thousand inhabitants, of which 22% in poverty are concentrated in the suburbs: this is where Colonia Urquiza is located.
The predominant economic activity is agriculture, a sector in which informal labor abounds, especially for foreigners. This results in limited access to basic rights and services in a context of precarious living conditions.
COMPOSITION AND STRUCTURE OF THE PROJECT
The Tía Kikí Community Center, owned by the Emmanuel Foundation, covers a total of 450 square meters consisting of: three rooms and bathrooms designated for children from 0 to 3 years old; spaces for psycho-social orientation, lactation room, room for collective activities; bathrooms for people with different abilities; bathrooms for adults; kitchen and canteen. The area designated for social inclusion workshops for children, adolescents and families consists of 3 separate rooms and bathrooms for use by children attending the workshops and a large garden. All spaces have a separate entrance. The center’s staff consists of 6 preschool teachers, a social worker, a psychologist, a psych pedagogist, 10 workshop instructors, an administrative staff, a communications officer, a maintenance officer, and a landlord.
IMPLEMENTED ACTIVITIES AND SERVICES
- Preschool for children 45 days to 3 years old
- Bi-weekly pedagogical support workshops for children and adolescents (on various topics (English, computer, reading, remedial education)
- Accompaniment of psychologist/social worker for children with learning difficulties
- · Weekly parenting and craft workshops for families.
- · Monthly integration meetings with institutions and the community
- Monthly coordination meetings with other local civil society associations.
BENEFICIARIES OF THE ACTION
The direct beneficiaries of the actions are 48 early childhood children, 112 children and adolescents, 208 families.
ACTIONS
- Support for the project
This is an ongoing commitment to support a food, educational, educational and health and hygiene programme aimed at the entire group of minors and their families who are part of the AFN project.
- Donations
These are free-flow payments, in support of a food, school-training and health and hygiene programme aimed at the entire group of minors and their families who are part of the AFN project.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
- Support for the project. Please contact the coordinators in your country to confirm the annual amount and payment details.
Reason for payment “Nuovo sostegno al progetto 2AREM- Argentina Emmanuel” and in the successful disbursement “rinnovo sostegno al progetto 2AREM- Argentina Emmanuel”
- Donation – Reason for payment “Donazione progetto SAD 2AREM- Argentina Emmanuel”