Last June 25, the II Education Quality Forum was held at the central Auditorium of the Rural in Palermo – Federal Capital City, with more than 500 attendants. National and provincial Ministers, Argentine and foreign education specialists, intellectuals, academicians, politicians and representatives of different national sectors put forward their ideas. The summary of the event and the lectures may be found at: http://www.educar.org.ar/foro-09/117-foro250610
Rural Secondary School in the Impenetrable Chaqueño:
Due to negotiations carried out by the Educar 2050 Project before provincial authorities, the first year of a new rural secondary school started last March, given during the second shift in the facilities of the Primary School 781 in Monte Quemado Chico – Chaco. More than 30 adolescents are attending school coming from different areas, some of them traveling a long distance to arrive.
The Abanderados Argentinos (Outstanding Argentine High School Students) Program seeks to repair the territorial educational injustice, to remedy the huge existing inequity in the distribution of educational resources, and creates incentives for high school students of both public and private schools. This program is aimed at students from the whole country, who excelled in their respective high school graduating cohorts. In its first edition 241 students applied to the Abanderados Argentinos Program. With the support of various corporations, benefactors and fellow institutions, the program provided 15 examination sites in different provinces in Argentina. Today, there are 20 students who hold scholarships and come from 11 different provinces. The university organices on-site or virtual remedial courses to prepare newly admitted students to face the new academic challenges.
The Abanderados Argentinos Program as well as the Juan Bautista Alberdi Scholarships provide a monthly stipend for living expenses, which demnstrates the University's great effort to attract academically sterling students throughout the country.
The new Deportistas Argentinos 2011 (Argentina Sportspeople 2011) Program: seeking to attract young sportspeople into our educational community, Universidad de San Andrés has launched the program Deportistas Argentinos, aimed at students ages 17 to 25. The scholarships will be merit and need-based and there will be a maximum allotment available. The scholarship will cover 75% of tuition expenses as well as a monthly stipend.
In January 2010, while everyone else was heading out of Buenos Aires on their summer vacation, twelve students from the University of Virginia arrived in the city to take part in an exciting group volunteering program.
In a project organized by Insight Argentina with Fundación Huerta Niño, they spent ten days in the La Matanza district of Gran Buenos Aires, helping to restore one of the area´s only ecological reserves.
They were there to help Semillas al Viento, a community project that began in 1995 with the aim of building awareness of the environment in the community of Isidro Casanova. Under the hot summer sun, the students joined other members of the project in building, planting, gardening, landscaping, and creating compost and scarecrows, among other activities.
As well as their hard work, they were able to experience the inspirational outlook and hospitality of the Semillas al Viento community, with well-earned lunches and conversations in the sun. As the two weeks came to an end, the project had taken a great leap forward, while the volunteers and participating organizations agreed that the experience had been both mutually beneficial and extremely enjoyable.
‘The community at Semillas al Viento opened my eyes to the potential of a group of dedicated volunteers to accomplish their dreams. The volunteers there were some of the brightest and most generous people I’ve ever met. Their resourcefulness was astounding. The optimism at the worksite was pervasive and contagious. Not only were we able to accomplish numerous tangible goals (building an adobe hut, painting a wall, clearing overgrown areas), we also had priceless cultural experiences like bonding with the local people, drinking mate, and exchanging stories over extended lunch breaks. Overall it was an inspiring experience that I will remember for the rest of my life.’ Kevin Klembczyk, University of Virginia
For more information about Huerta Niño Foundation, please click here.
For more information about “Semillas al Viento", please click here.
Emilio Ocampo, Bob Hannan, the NY Chapter Team, and Nacho Figueras
On Sunday, August 1, more than 300 polo enthusiasts enjoyed a world class polo match at a charity event hosted by Nacho Figueras and the New York Chapter of HelpArgentina. The benefit event, held at the Meadowbrook Polo Club, was organized to support the work of two argentine charities, Cruzada Argentina and HelpArgentina. The funds raised will allow Cruzada Argentina to refurbish a school in an impoverished region of the argentine province of Corrientes and will support HelpArgentina’s work to strengthen the argentine social sector by connecting international donors with high impact non-profits and by promoting a culture of giving among the argentine expatriate community.
The hard fought match was won by the Black Watch Team captained by Nacho Figueras, (6 goal) which also included Marinano Aguerre (10 goal), Pablo Pieres (8 goal) and Satinger Garcha (2 goal). The members of the opposing Deutsche Bank Team were Nic Roldan (8 goal) captain, Christian Laprida (9 goal), Lucas Criado (9 goal), and Luis Rinaldini. Nacho’s wife, Delfina Blaquier, an Argentine photographer and former model, also attended the match with their 3 children Hilario, Aurora, and Artemio.
After the match Nacho said “I’ve been doing charity things for a while, but I think I finally found the organization that I really want to work with. It’s a great bridge between people here who want to help, and the people and projects who really need it. It was great polo today, and it’s so fun to be able to do what you love while helping kids.” Marina Michelutti, leader of the New York Chapter of HelpArgentina commented “we approached Nacho because we view him as a role model, someone genuinely committed to making a difference in the world – he embodies the spirit of HelpArgentina that we are working to cultivate in the New York area”.
The success of the event was made possible by the generous support of Deutsche Bank, Ralph Lauren Fragrances, Piaget, Proskauer, Delta Airlines, and Pololine. The spectators watched the match from tents elegantly appointed by Poltrona Frau y Cassina while enjoying the wines of Bodegas Renacer and Veuve Clicquot and water provided by Hint. A luxurious live auction was held during half-time featuring items donated by St Regis, Nervous Waters, JJ. Wing Shooting, Punta Caballos and Veraty Lodge, and Maserati, as well as a personal polo lesson donated by Nacho. Beautifully crafted prizes for the players were supplied by Aracano, Marcelo Toledo and Pehuen.
New York University will recognize the historic role that Ashoka and its community have played through awarding an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters to Ashoka CEO, Bill Drayton, in its 178th commencement. The honorary degrees awarded annually during the NYU Commencement are the highest honor conferred by the university.The degree will be conferred upon Bill Drayton in recognition of Ashoka's continued work to create and build the field of social entrepreneurship and its central contribution to a world where everyone, not just an elite few, can be powerful changemakers.
Celebrate the Bicentennial. Be part of change. Get involved with the Argentine Social Sector.
HelpArgentina launched the 200 Campaign to encourage Argentines, in the year of the bicentennial, to reflect on the evolving social realities in their country and on the possibility of changing that reality. We want to raise awareness among the expatriate Argentine community about the opportunity to become actively involved in supporting the projects and organizations working to address the critical social issues that confront the country.
The goal of the campaign is to double the funds that were provided to the Argentine social sector through HelpArgentina in 2009. We want you to be part of our goal of raising US$1.5 million in 2010.
With the support of diaspora organizations, groups of argentine employees in international and american corporations, and argentine alumni of prominent universities, HelpArgentina invites all those that believe a different future is possible to join in this initiative. Be an advocate of change. Get involved. Let’s work together to reshape reality.
Donate to our organizations and projects. We have a network of more than 60 member organizations that, together with HelpArgentina, have mobilized more than 3.5 million dollars since 2003.
We appreciate your help in spreading this initiative.
For More Information: Cecilia Gutman Donor Services and Institutional Development comunidad@helpargentina.org HelpArgentina AR (54-11) 5032- 6424 / 5238-1220/ 5238-1219 USA (01) 646-472-5188 Maipú 62, piso 2, oficina 9 Cap. Fed. (C1084ABB) Buenos Aires, Argentina
Following in the tradition of previous years, the Harvard Argentine Society - a group that brings together argentines who study at Harvard University - held an event on the Harvard Business School campus, on Wednesday April 21, 2010, to raise funds for a civil organization associated with HelpArgentina (HA).
They had the pleasure of having 35 Argentine students and residents of Boston in attendance, all of whom had the opportunity to enjoy empanadas, wine, and Argentine music. The schools represented were primarily: Harvard Business School, the Kennedy School and Harvard Law School.
It is worth noting, as an important example of social commitment, that some students who could not attend, became a part of the initiative through donations via paypal.
They were successful in raising $828 dollars. The money will go, through HA, to a replica of Teach for America in the United States: the organization Teach for Argentina. This organization aims to achieve an Argentina in which all children have access to quality education. For this purpose, the organization selects and trains the best college graduates with strong leadership traits and motivation, to teach for two years in Argentine schools vulnerable due to their socioeconomic level.
HA wants to thank Federico Alvarez-Demale, Paola Sabattini and Maxiimiliano Gonzalez Costa for organizing this event and the commitment they have shown in continuing this tradition. Those involved with HA sincerely believe that if we join efforts we can expand our organizational scope and increase our achievements.
"We hope to hold another event next year to continue supporting the efforts of HelpArgentina in the United States." Maximiliano Gonzalez Costa
Article published in CNN International on April 28, 2010
By Brian Byrnes
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (CNN) -- On his knees in the soggy soil, 9-year-old Alexis Ocampo digs deep into the earth, his small gardening rake separating dirt from rocks. "Look, I found a worm!" he shrieks.
Towering above is Andrea Girardini, calmly instructing Alexis and the half-dozen other children working to clear spots for new crops.
"We can put a squash plant here, and some lettuce over there," says Girardini, a director of Semillas al Viento, a community organization that teaches neighborhood kids practical skills that help them put food on the table.
"The children come here and learn how to farm and how to cultivate their very own organic vegetables. Then they bring them home to eat. It's a wonderful alternative to sitting in front of the computer," she says.
The Semillas al Viento (Seeds to the Wind) farm is located in Isidro Casanova, a poor area in Buenos Aires' sprawling urban rust belt, where green spaces are few and far between. Five years ago, the football-field sized area was overrun with garbage and frequented by criminals, but following a community effort to reclaim it, it now teems with trees, grass and flowers, as well as eggplants, tomatoes, lemons and herbs. There's even a small pond where kids and dogs happily splash around.
"I really enjoy being here. It's like my happiest place to be. The fresh air is great," says Alexis.
"It's like my happiest place to be," says 9-year-old Alexis Ocampo of the community garden.The Semillas al Viento farm is a part of Huerta Nino (My Garden), a nonprofit foundation that works to alleviate malnutrition and starvation in Argentina. Since 1999, it has helped build more than 50 small farms, many of them in isolated villages in northern Argentina. Despite being one of the world's largest agricultural-producing countries, Argentina still struggles to feed its people.
"Hunger is one of the gravest problems that Argentina has right now. At least 300,000 Argentine children are suffering from undernourishment," says Juan Lapetini, executive director of Huerta Nino.
Gallery: Kids learn to farm in Argentina Nearly 5,000 Argentine children have been educated about sustainable farming practices through the "My Garden" program, which has also been endorsed by Argentine celebrity chef Martiniano Molina, and won various awards for its initiatives. Typically, the program is introduced first at rural schools, where the crops that students grow are then taken home to eat. The long-term objective, coordinators say, is to have the children create vegetable gardens at home with their parents.
"Getting parents to change their eating habits, and encouraging them to provide nutritious food to the kids is sometimes the biggest challenge," says Lapetini.
Following Argentina's economic collapse in 2001 -- when the country defaulted on $100 billion in foreign debt -- poverty, crime and unemployment rates soared. The crisis, coupled with Argentina's lack of philanthropic tradition, led to the creation of HelpArgentina, a U.S. charity that functions as a bridge between international donors and a network of 65 transparent Argentine NGOs, like Huerta Nino.
Since 2003, HelpArgentina has channeled more than $3 million in donations to the country, and coordinated the visits of hundreds of foreign volunteers. In January, a group of students from the University of Virginia spent two weeks at the Semillas al Viento farm, working directly with children and instructors to clear additional farming land and build adobe huts and bathrooms. They also left a sizeable donation.
"When you work day-in and day-out with these organizations ... and you know their needs and struggles ... to receive donations from abroad, even if it is a small amount, it literally changes the reality of many of these organizations," says HelpArgentina's Jon Teel.
"Witnessing these changes is amazing. And that's why we do what we do."
For the third consecutive year, a group of donors has provided financial support that enables 20 young people from different provinces to pursue their studies. The project, which is aimed at students between the ages of 13 and 17, provides grants which allow the students to get the supplies they need to attend school, such as books and clothing.
The donors selected nonprofits from the HelpArgentina network to be project partners - the organizations then select the prospective recipients of the grants. The organizations are responsible for managing the resources and ensuring that the young people remain committed throughout the year.
This initiative was implemented through the School Incentive Fund, first established in 2008. At that time, the donors approached HA with the goal of establishing an initiative to support education in Argentina. From this original concept, and with the assistance of HelpArgentina, the fund was established.
In the last two years, seven nonprofits have participated in this project which has supported more than 20 young people studying in seven provinces in Argentina. To date more than $10,000 has been donated to support the education of these young people. The donors have been very pleased with the results of the project and have extended their support throughout the 2010 academic year.
The positive effect of the grants on the recipients was expressed by a girl in Tinogasta, La Rioja Province ‘ I was very happy, because with the scholarship I was able to buy shoes and everything I needed to study: perhaps without this support I would not be able to continue my studies’.
The 8.8 earthquake that struck the center and south of Chile was one of the strongest in history, with tragic consequences for the population. For anyone looking for a way to help, you can make donations through the following organizations:
