Ambassador
Ambassador Event
AMBASSADOR WAYNE VISITS UNIVERSITY AND VARIOUS SOCIAL WORKS IN LA MATANZA
February 10, 2009
During a trip to La Matanza on February 9, Ambassador Wayne visited "La Obra del Padre Bachi", one of Wal-Mart's CSR beneficiaries, located in Barrio Almafuerte, Villa Palito, San Justo. La Obra del Padre Bachi encompasses a center for 16 youngsters who are struggling to recover from their addiction to paco, cocaine and marihuana, as well as a school of arts and craftsmanship, where youngsters are taught music, computing, lathing, welding, etc., and a soup kitchen in which approximately 500 people are provided with lunch and over 200 children receive a cup of milk and a snack every day.
Ambassador Wayne congratulated Father Bachi for his pastoral work and expressed his appreciation to Wal-Mart's CEO, Ezequiel Gomez Berard, who accompanied the Ambassador, for Wal-Mart’s interest in making a difference in the lives of people in need. The Ambassador also praised Wal-Mart’s initiative to organize a “Dia del Niño” and “Dia de Reyes” party, distribute toys to the children of Villa Palito, and organizes a visit to a movie theater for 150 children.
La Matanza National University
The Ambassador met with students and faculty at the National University of La Matanza and toured the facilities with Rector Daniel Martinez and University authorities. He noted how impressed he was with the University's commitment to provide educational opportunities for all social groups and its special efforts in education for the blind.
“Public universities are a source of educational opportunities for groups that have generally had less access to higher education both in the United States and Argentina, and they are guardians of democratic society. They represent the greater aspiration for education for the next generation of leaders committed to freedom, democracy, and equal opportunities”, noted Ambassador Wayne.
In his remarks, Ambassador Wayne highlighted President Obama as an example of the great things that can be achieved by all people regardless of their background. He also answered questions about the priorities of the Obama administration for the next Summit of the Americas, the role of Mercosur and the Organizations of American States, and mechanisms to promote regional cooperation, among other topics.
Casa de la Mujer Rosa Chazarreta
Ambassador Wayne also visited the domestic violence shelter “Casa de la Mujer Rosa Chazarreta”, run by social psychologist Nelida Borquez. A survivor of domestic and family violence herself, she has championed women’s rights to live free of domestic and sexual violence for over 20 years. Under Ms. Borquez’s direction, the community center has since grown to become a network of 14 centers throughout the city of La Matanza. The Ambassador talked with the staff of several of these centers, and learned they assist thousands of victims a month. He also visited the microenterprise programs offered by the centers to help the victims overcome the cycle of abuse.
The center receives financial assistance from the city of La Matanza, UNIFEM, and the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation. “I applaud Ms. Borquez’s efforts to increase public and official awareness of violence against women in the impoverished Buenos Aires suburb of La Matanza, and I believe these efforts have empowered battered women to come forward to denounce the crime,” the Ambassador said.
‘I had today the privilege of meeting a number of La Matanza local and future leaders. I’m really impressed by Father Bachi’s altruism, working daily to save young people from drugs, and by Ms. Borquez’s and her colleagues’ untiring spirit and their work to save women and children from domestic violence. I was also impressed by the initiative and enthusiasm of the students at La Matanza National University, most of whom are determined to improve their prospectives for a better future by becoming their families’ first university graduates,” said Ambassador Wayne.
