I am co founder of an NGO in Argentina, Va de Vuelta (Let´s try again)

Vision

Contribute toward a new world and economic order based on the fact that we are all one.

Mission of Asociación Civil Va de Vuelta

Build capacities among micro and small informal businesses formed by unemployed people under the poverty line in Argentina.

Va de Vuelta works mostly with cooperatives formed by cartoneros or urban scavengers helping them to process and sell post consumption material: paper, cardboard, glass, and plastics and electronics. We promote curbside recycling in municipal governments.  We reject the idea that a human being must eat from our own trash and we look to help them work as formal “recuperadores”. Curbside recycling is virtually non existent in Argentina today. Va de Vuelta coordinates an effective curbside recycling campaign in Zárate, province of Buenos Aires and is looking for funds to start educational and recycling campaigns in the suburban districts of Avellaneda and San Martin to promote awareness of and to help cartoneros get off the streets.

At present we work in the recuperation of electronic waste, 14 people in a very poor area south of the City of Buenos Aires earn their lives this way, they have formed a successful Coop.

Target population:

Informal micro and small businesses run by unemployed poor and indigent people, who, even in a high growth and high employment economic scenario, cannot be employed. We work with young men who are school drop outs who are in and out of jail, who have addiction problems, and with people over 50 with no pension or work. They embody the consequences of living in families with three or more generations of exclusion. They are emotionally and psychologically unable to hold on to stable jobs, they did not attend school and do not know what formal employment is about. However, when organized and given a chance they show amazing commitment and they are very willing to learn new trades.

The Problem: poverty and inequality

According to a private and renown Consultancy, (SEL – Sociedad de Estudios Laborales) there are approximately 10,8 million people who are poor in Argentina. A family of four needs an income of $1185 pesos (330 dollars) according to SEL to be above the poverty line. Of these, 3,5 million are indigent (this means they cannot afford basic food for families of four or more)  .

Work and poverty

o       According to INDEC 2007: 44,2% of employed people do so with no formal employment contracts or benefits, and approximately 30% earn wages below the poverty line.

Our Solution

Provide informal micro and small businesses with business development services, access to credit, education and technical training in order to work with them in their path toward sustainability and to enter the productive and economic system by way of new, creative, paradigm-breaking solutions. Va de Vuelta seeks to bridge a gap between small excluded businesses and medium and large companies.

We are a mixed team of people from the have and have not worlds. We work respecting the desires of those we seek to help and we work together, we both profit from our work and learn together

Our needs: We need funding for training of trainers, and for equipment. We also need long term volunteers who can work generating new opportunities in recycling for the coops we help.

More info: www.vadevuelta.org.ar or margaritacarles@gmail.com