As part of RACI’s monthly visits to learn more about its members, this month we had the opportunity to visit the SiMas Foundation virtually. It is an organization dedicated to generating change in people’s lives by multiplying their opportunities. The organization works in different rural areas of Mendoza and Chubut, strengthening spaces in pursuit of equality and development. On this occasion, we asked one of our volunteers, Rocío Díaz, to offer us her perspective on this experience.
The approach with which they carry out their projects was especially highlighted in the talk with Diego Ariel Dalmasso, the president of the SiMas Foundation. Diego commented that, when working with native communities in rural areas, the foundation’s principle is to generate projects designed together with them, collaboratively. As a result, the entire process is developed side by side with the members of each community, taking into account their needs and demands. The projects are also itinerant, meaning it is the same members and inhabitants of that territory who appropriate them and lead them when the foundation finishes its task.
Among the most outstanding projects of the SiMas Foundation is the comprehensive rehabilitation center “Bambú” for disabled children; the first popular school of the Huarpe genre; the delivery of more than 200 tablets to “Shorten the Digital Gender Gap”; and the first radio channel entirely led by indigenous women. All these initiatives are crossed by a fundamental mission: to promote opportunities in unfavorable situations.
I am grateful to RACI for organizing this visit, and the SiMas Foundation for having opened the doors to the immense work that its members undertake. I had an incredible experience, and above all, a space for reflection on the importance of respecting the demands and identities of those we work with, which is also a value of RACI and our entire team.
If you want to know more about the work, publications, and forms of collaboration of the SiMas Foundation, you can visit: http://www.fundacionsimas.org.ar/