The beginning of ‘Su Lavandería’… Mariano Saccal is the owner of two successful hostels here in Buenos Aires; I can see this when I arrive to interview him and the social areas are buzzing with people. The Milhouse hostels are the temporary homes for some of the thousands of tourists this city receives every year, but while he may be catering for the needs of student backpackers and travellers from all over the world, Mariano has also played an important part in a very local project. The Laundry Project, or Su Lavandería, established over three years ago thanks to the collaboration of the founders here at Voluntario Global and local business owners such as Mariano, who explains where the idea came from. “I have been in contact with Valeria (co-founder of Voluntario Global) for several years and had always offered to get involved in anything she wanted me to help with. One day she called me to say that YPF were offering grants to projects which would be sustainable in the long term, and asked if I could think of anything we could do as an NGO which had the potential to be successful” Then the inspiration came. It happened that the Milhouse hostels have their own laundry services for both the clients’ clothes and the bed sheets, towels and other linen used in the running of the hostels. Although a simple concept, it was an area in which Mariano has twelve years’ experience and useful contacts. Furthermore, the initial start-up costs for a launderette are relatively low and the operation of the business would be easy to teach. For Milhouse, it is a useful and somewhat niche addition to their hostels’ services and “It keeps the guests happy”.  

Facing up to challenges The first challenge they faced was persuading YPF “to believe in it” and give them the initial grant. A clear business plan and vision for the future was needed as well as a successful meeting with YPF; “When we went to the meetings with these guys we had to convince them personally...it wasn’t difficult for me because I don’t feel scared talking to [large groups of] people”. It was later proved that Mariano’s presentation skills had paid off as the Laundry Project received backing and was able to develop from just an idea to a real business. However, Su Lavandería would not be what it is today without the hard work and dedication of the local students that work in it. “The second challenge was to make the guys that work there believe that it could be a successful business”. He explains that many of the potential employees came from shanty towns where there was a distinct feeling of frustration, especially amongst young adults who had not necessarily had the best education and could not see a future for themselves. Nevertheless, with the perseverance and inspiration of Valeria Gracia and Armin Díaz (founders of Voluntario Global), more and more young people expressed their interest and were recruited to work in Su Lavanderia; increasing their employability whilst earning money to fund their studies. The final obstacle, according to Mariano, was a financial one. The laundry service needed premises which meant proving to potential landlords that they were able to pay the rent every month. Then came buying the machines needed to wash and dry the items. Fortunately, Mariano had contacts with the company which sold him the machines for his hostels and managed to get a good price; “I had to convince him about the project so that we would give us a good deal that other people wouldn’t usually get”.  

Su Lavandería in the future Three years on, and for everyone involved in the laundry project the biggest achievement is the difference it has made to the young employees’ lives. They are earning their own money and being given the chance to study and support their families. But this is not where it ends; “the most important thing is the fact that these guys, for the first time in their lives and probably their families’ lives, are working and making a profit which is a big boost for their self-esteem.” A boost in confidence is also coupled with valuable business skills for the future, “they are not following orders every day, it’s a self-managed thing…to know how to meet deadlines and payments is a big skill”. Does Mariano have any regrets about how the project was set up? “No, I don’t think so. I give a lot of credit to Valeria and Armin. Armin is the key to make the guys from the shanty towns believe in the project and Valeria is the heart of the NGO.” He humbly adds that he was “only really helping at the beginning”. As for the future of Su Lavanderia, there is room for expansion. I am told that this could involve looking for a second branch, perhaps in Palermo, as not only is there demand from potential clients in the form of local hostels, but more young people are interested in joining the project. “I would love to see that. That would be the perfect second step”. Unfortunately, this expansion will not be possible without donations and support from volunteers. In order to enrich the lives of more young disadvantaged people from Buenos Aires, the Laundry Project needs your help. If this story has inspired you, donate now! http://www.voluntarioglobal.org

By Massimiliano Claps Someone calls them Collas. Most of them don’t like this name, because it reminds them of past (and recent…) suffering and colonialism. Whatever you want to call them, they’re not like the rest of Argentinian people. They are the true descendants of the tough people that inhabited the highlands between Argentina, Chile, Bolivia and Peru for ten centuries. They endured the domination of Incas and then Spanish colonialists, mixed with them, but never lost their original character no their colorful outfits. Their hearts spread wide to welcome all newcomers, but they do so slowly, in silence, only after their big black eyes have dug deep in your heart to discover if you’re here to give something, or to take away something from them. They’re just like the lands they inhabit…La Puna. A three-thousand to five-thousand meters high desert, constantly beaten by tropical sun during the day and by freezing Andean winds at night, where the air is so thin that the stars are a million and more, and you can do things only one breadth at a time… always surrounded by a deep silence and by colorful sandstone that rise hundreds or thousand meters from the flat desert. A flat desert that from time to time surprises you with a group of “llamas”, “ovejas”, “burros”, or “vicuñas”, the only animals that can survive in these meager lands, along with “campesinos” that dig “papas” out of sand and rocks. This is not a place for the faint-hearted (nor for anyone that fears cold weather), but here is where I could really immerse in the local culture, I established deep relationships with people that I only talked to a few times, and wheeled free in the desert with an old bike to reach the feet of 4100 mt. Cerro Escaya and then hike to the top (…almost), to visit an isolated archeological site at the Laguna Colorada to see prehistoric paintings, and to enjoy a “guiso de lenteja” in the tiny village of Yavi. This is where I saw teenagers feeling so lonely and ashamed of their poverty that they did not even wanted to sit with other kids to share a soup, but could only pass their bowls through a tiny window, and only the big heart of Matilde could eventually convince them to, at least, walk-in and wait for the soup in the kitchen, while enjoying the laughs of Nancy and Soledad giving the last touch to the “comida”. This is a place that everyone in the “developed world” should see at least once in their life, to understand that all of the comforts of our life are not necessary to make you smile. To ingrain in everybody’s mind that dignity is not given by more money, cars, TVs, cell-phones, ski-trips… but by the ability to afford some food every-day, a solid roof, a decent job for your family, or simply to dream of becoming a teacher to help other kids, or travel the world to know more (not to own more), like my good friend Josue does. And all of this without falling in the thousand traps that you can find along the unpaved path of poverty. Thanks to Voluntario Global that gave me this opportunity and in particular thanks to Matilde, her brother Antonio and her sister-in-law Ana Maria for the wonderful work they do every-day with Jose-Luis, Franco, Lucas, Ariel, Abigail, Javier, Karen, Sofi, Gessal, Nicole and all the other kids, by putting their own money, time and souls on the line. I hope I was able to give a little help and joy, I certainly took home a lot… and left with the desire to go back! http://www.voluntarioglobal.org