Over the long weekend, a group of Mente Argentina participants joined NGO “Techo Para Mi Pais” (A Roof for my Country) to work on Construcción Masiva. Teaming with over 1,500 other volunteers, they built over 200 homes for displaced people in the outskirts of the city in the villas (slums).
For three days and nights, volunteers slept in the halls of a nearby school, and dedicated each day to constructing homes, side by side with the families who now live in these homes. Each home had 6x3M timber frames and clad houses, each on 15 stumps, equipped with a door, 3 windows, insulation, and a metal sheet roof. With astounding results, Techo Para Mi País’ developed a construction plan that provided more for these families than they could have imagined.
Phuong Nguyen, who is in Buenos Aires for an Architecture and Community Service Internship with Mente Argentina writes, “The family expressed tears of joy to now just have a roof over their heads. I have never experienced such warrior passion and social activism in a country’s youth for changing their country’s social situation than here amongst the very young Argentines. Such an admirable and inspiring quality in the youth of this nation. I wish for all of us to be half as empowered as what I had experienced of the Argentines this weekend. Small daily actions for big future change!”
This has been a moving and even life-changing experience for all Mente Argentina participants involved in the project. We are both honored and proud to have been part of this incredible project.
