Continuing with the monthly visits that the RACI team organizes together with its members, we were able to coordinate two very enriching meetings with the Foundation of Community Organizations (FOC) and the Latin American Justice and Gender Team to get to know the people involved behind the organizations and their Projects.
To convey the experiences we experienced during both visits, we asked our volunteers Kim Radestock and Jane Yang to summarize each of the encounters and how they perceived them.
The visit to FOC, by Kim Redestock
The 25th of April, after starting my internship in RACI, we headed to the neighbourhood of Lomas de Zamora to eat breakfast and to talk with the member of FOC ( The Foundation of Community Organization). Our visit was expected and they received us very kindly.
The Foundation was founded in 1989, and it specializes in the development of kids, adolescents, young people and their families. One of the founders told us about the history of the foundation, how they used to work, how the FOC was institutionalized, what it is its vision and how they want to reach their aims. After the talk, they show us their building and we were able to see their facilities. They showed us the places where they offer cooking classes and manicure courses.
After that, we visited one of the seven community kindergartens of the FOC, where a group of women and teachers take care of kids from 3 to 12 years old. The ‘’Conejito Saltarín’’ , as do the other kindergartens, aims to give education, social restraint and the necessary conditions for a healthy development.
The meeting was very interesting and successful. I thank RACI for this opportunity to get to know the third sector and FOC for receiving us.
The Visit to ELA, by Jane Yang
Every month Raci organizes a visit to one of its local partners so that we can learn about their work and how they work in Argentina. This month, I had the honor of taking part of a visit to ELA. ELA, The Latin American Group for Gender and Justice, is a NGO that works towards achieving and protecting the women rights and reaching gender equality. Even though I have read a lot about feminist work done in Latin America and I’ve had many debated with my classmates, this was my first time visiting a local organization that focuses on this theme.
The visit to ELA was very informative and exciting for all of us. After receiving a cordial welcome at the office of the ELA, we started the conversation. First, we had some discussions about reciente events and politics related to women’s rights. Our discussion was not only limited to important events occured in Argentina, but also in the world. For example, we talked about the law prohibiting the abortion in the United States, and the factors that affected the passing of this law. This part was very interesting because it showed me how the international debates are closely connected to the domestic debates and affect the feminist movement here in Argentina.
The second part of the visit was a presentation of ELA’s work in the past years and its future goals. They introduced us some projects and initiatives of ELA and its contributions on how to improve the gender equality. They also presented some brochures and informs that ELA had made to spread these themes and to raise awareness in the public.
I appreciate a lot the fact that I had the opportunity of visit ELA as a part of RACI’s volunteer team. All of them showed us a lot of passion and determination towards the pursuing of the mission to achieve gender equality.