2nd HelpArgentina Social Ambassador Award

In a very moving ceremony in Argentina's Foreign Affairs Ministry, in front of more than 120 people, the finalists and the winners  of the HelpArgentina Social Ambassador Award were announced!

Juan Carr, Javier Corcuera, Diego Melamed, and Milagros Olivera reflected on the important contributions of the Social Ambassadors, who, though living in other countries, actively participate in the development of Argentina's social sector. 

Our winners were:

• Against All Odds Category: Agustina Blanco and Rubén Pensa.

• Social Leader Category: Mirian Mansilla and Hernán Silva.

• Commitment Between Two Worlds Category: Father Liam Hayes.

The 17 finalists, Argentines and foreigners, live in more than 8 different countries and their projects benefit organizations in 14 different regions of Argentina. They were chosen for their dedication, the impact of their work in Argentina, and also the innovation of their projects and activities. We presented the Social Ambassadors with the following video: 

Winners of the Against All Odds Category:

Agustina Blanco. Agustina is an Argentine living in the United States.  An education specialist, Agustina initiated  reforms of the education system of a rural school in Las Lomitas. Las Lomitas is located in the low income province of Formosa. Currently, she is raising funds for the construction of a sports wing and a dining hall in the school. See her story (including video) by following this link.

Rubén Pensa. Ruben is from Córdoba and lives in Neuchatel, Switzerland. He works in the Teatro d'l Passage in Neuchatel. Ruben raises money for a children's dining hall in Santa Fe, Argentina. Ruben's fundraising events include artistic fairs and serving native Argentinean meals, as well as many others. Furthermore, he is a patron of Latin American artists. See his story by following this link.

Winners of the Social Leader Category:

Mirian Mansilla. Mirian is from Santa Fe, but has lived in Italy for the last 23 years. She founded Mateando, an Italian NGO that raises funds for a poor children's dining hall in Garín, where her mother lives. Thanks to her work, not only do the children have the opportunity to eat in the hall, they also receive educational support and have more opportunities for recreational activities. See her story (including video) by following this link.

Hernán Silva. Hernan is an Argentine living in Chicago. Along with other Argentines, he founded an organization that unites Argentine professionals in Chicago. Together, they contribute time and resources to raise funds for the construction and maintenance of rural schools throughout the country. See his story (including video) by following this link.

Winner of the Commitment Between Two Worlds Category:

Father Liam Hayes. Father Liam is Irish and lives part of the year in Oberá, Misiones, and the other part of the year in the county of Limerick, Ireland. He founded a home that cares for people with mental disabilities, motor problems, and elderly people, helping those who have been abandoned by their families for various reasons or those who do not have anyone to live with. The homes are sustained through funds raised personally by Father Liam in Ireland. See his story (including video) by following this link.

Our Finalists:

Cristianne Close. Cristianne is a 29 year old Argentine living in Geneva, Switzerland. With a group of 90 fellow MBA graduates, she organized sports activities and helped form the AVPF-IMD Fund. Along with her colleagues, she is working on a project to improve access to early education in Misiones. Watch her video (in Spanish) by following this link.

Nancy Cosentino. Nancy is Argentine and she lives in Spain. She is the founder of the Diezeuros organization that helps different homes, soup kitchens, and institutions in Argentina. Each of Diezeuros' 180 members give 10 euros a month.

Eliana Galli. Argentine and Swiss, Eliana has lived in Geneva for the last 7 years. On a trip to Tilcara, she learned of the Life Project Home in Puerto Esperanza, Misiones. The story of this home left her so moved, that upon returning to Switzerland she founded Enfants d'Amerique Latine, which is now the principal form of financial support for the home.

Carolina Larramendy. Carolina is a 30 year old Argentine lawyer living in London. She has spent more than three years working with the Solidarity Projects group of APARU, and a year ago also integrated the Directive Commission of APARU as treasurer. Watch her video (in Spanish) by following this link .

Raquel Martínez. Raquel is an American living in Kuwait. She has carried out numerous projects to help various Argentine organizations, including the NGO CILSA and a pediatric oncology center in Vincente Lopez. Raquel has travelled extensively throughout Argentina in the last 10 years through the organization Airline Ambassadors. She has been involved with many projects, such as the donation of 30 beds to a special school.

Beatriz Ontañón. Beatriz is a Spaniard and lives in Madrid. She organized a marathon to raise funds for a school annex in the indigenous community of La Estrella, located in Salta. Beatriz was able to donate new equipment with funds raised from the marathon. She also helped with the construction of new kindergarten classrooms.

Ramón Pinna. Ramon is the president of the Achalay Association in Spain. Achalay collects funds through the contributions of their 200 members as well as hosting numerous events. To date they have raised over $100,000 USD. They support, among other things, the construction, extension, and maintenance of various schools and cooperatives in different provinces of the country.

Mario Raimondi. Mario is an Argentine who has lived in Holland since 2001. He is 31 and works as a field hockey trainer. He created the Challenge Foundation in Holland, which is a non-profit group whose goal is to raise funds through donations and events in order to support cultural and recreational development, entertainment, workshops, courses, etc. in Argentina. Watch his video (in Spanish) by following this link .

Philip Riches. Philip is English and has travelled throughout Argentina. He ran two marathons of more than 250 kilometers in very harsh and unfavorable conditions in the Sahara and Gobi deserts. Through these marathons he raised more than 8,000 British pounds for the Los Algarrobos Civil Association that works in various provinces in Argentina focusing on environmental education and sustainable development. Watch his video (in Spanish) by following this link .

Mariana Torres Morera. Mariana, who is Argentine and North American, has lived in New York for the last 40 years. She founded a children's soup kitchen in Castelli, Chaco, and from her own resources has donated clothes and toys to more than 90 children. Furthermore, she has worked with many help groups in New York such as the Union of Argentine Entities, Atahualpa, and HelpArgentina. Watch her video (in Spanish) by following this link .

Marco Van Stralen. Marco is Dutch and lives in Hilversum, Holland. He created a foundation exclusively for the support of projects and social initiatives in Argentina. Marco tries to learn about and truly understand the local needs in the areas to which he gives his help. Through every project, he tries to become increasingly involved and to become more familiar with the local perspectives. Watch his video by following this link .

Ángel Werch. Angel is an Argentine doctor that has lived in Texas for the last 40 years. He sends medical products and hospital supplies from the United States to hospitals in Argentina. Through this program, 40 foot containers with products for daily use in hospitals have been sent to institutions in different parts of the country.