I work every year as a volunteer helping deprived children in Buenos Aires shanty towns. I absolutely love it !
Las Travesuras the story so far ...
Lorena Sotelo has been a social worker in the “villas” (shanty towns) of Buenos Aires for over 13 years. Since the age of 17, she has worked with various Government initiatives aimed at improving the lives of children who live in the « villas ». During that time, Lorena has worked tirelessly to feed, clothe and most importantly educate the children of Buenos Aires’ villas, as well as her own daughter Candela (aged 9).
So at the age of 31, Lorena has achieved more than most people of her age and background. After many years of hard work and frustration, brought about by poorly managed projects and decreased focus on educational initiatives, Lorena decided to take matters into her own hands and last year set about creating her own children’s kindergarten / nursery – very much focused on education – in Los Eucaliptos, a villa located in the north of Buenos Aires in José León Suárez.
Thanks to kind donations from friends and organisations, as well as money from their own pocket, Lorena and her husband Agustín managed to buy a plot of land and built a fantastic children’s nursery in Los Eucaliptos, that aims to feed and educate the children of the villa. The centre took less than a year to build, thanks to the hard work put in by Lorena, Agustín, their families, friends and a number of volunteers sent by organisations. The centre, called “Travesuras” (‘The Little Rascals’), opened in May 2009.
Why is the education centre so necessary?
Many of the children in Los Eucaliptos are left alone all day while their parents go out to whatever jobs they can find, and many have suffered physical and emotional abuse. The “Travesuras” nursery aims to create a stable and safe environment where children can develop both intellectually and emotionally.
Lorena and her colleague Viviana, an experienced teacher, work at the centre Monday to Friday taking care of around 40 children. They give the children breakfast and a wholesome lunch every day and undertake various educational activities appropriate to their age including art, music and physical education. Travesuras also aims to teach the values of teamwork, solidarity and respect.
Why is the education centre so necessary?
Many of the children in Los Eucaliptos are left alone all day while their parents go out to whatever jobs they can find, and many have suffered physical and emotional abuse. The “Travesuras” nursery aims to create a stable and safe environment where children can develop both intellectually and emotionally.
Lorena and her colleague Viviana, an experienced teacher, work at the centre Monday to Friday taking care of around 40 children. They give the children breakfast and a wholesome lunch every day and undertake various educational activities appropriate to their age including art, music and physical education. Travesuras also aims to teach the values of teamwork, solidarity and respect.
What next ?
Now, the team needs to build another room to accommodate 5 year old children, because the local government has decided that without that extra room, Lorena can no longer cater for that age group. So building the new room is crucial for Travesuras to continue to help and protect those children and to provide them with a safe environment during the day and essential education beforeprimary school.
When Lorena and her family built the first room, they provided under the roof enough cables and fittings necessary to build another room next to it in the near future. This means that building the new room will only cost 7000 pesos – this is roughly £ 1200, a fortune for them but quite achievable for us.
So let’s hope that Praline’s Walk will have a good response and will raise enough money for building work to start this winter (their summer). On behalf of those children, we thank you all in advance for your efforts and generosity.
Now, the team needs to build another room to accommodate 5 year old children, because the local government has decided that without that extra room, Lorena can no longer cater for that age group. So building the new room is crucial for Travesuras to continue to help and protect those children and to provide them with a safe environment during the day and essential education beforeprimary school.
When Lorena and her family built the first room, they provided under the roof enough cables and fittings necessary to build another room next to it in the near future. This means that building the new room will only cost 7000 pesos – this is roughly £ 1200, a fortune for them but quite achievable for us.
So let’s hope that Praline’s Walk will have a good response and will raise enough money for building work to start this winter (their summer). On behalf of those children, we thank you all in advance for your efforts and generosity.
