Expanish Volunteer Blog
Volunteering in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires can be looked at as a city with two faces; the first face is the sophisticated, exciting, cosmopolitan, shop-till-you-drop, cuisine-lover’s paradise, international upscale neighbourhoods, and foreigner friendly face. You cannot help but love it, want to live it, and never want to leave it.
The other face is the poverty stricken, unsanitary living conditions, no medical or health care, no work, no security, no education, and crime ridden face. They are very different from one another, two separate worlds, but both very real and living in very close proximity to one another.
These two faces of Buenos Aires are the reason why the city has become one of the most popular destinations for volunteering in Latin America. When one walks through the neighbourhoods of Palermo, Belgrano, Las Canitas, Puerto Madero, and even the business centre, it seems that Buenos Aires is a wealthy, prosperous, and safe city. However there are other neighbourhoods where families of 10 live in one tiny shack, where there is no sanitary water to drink, no work available, no education offered of any kind, and where there is a high level of crime. These two extremes are a reality in the day to day life of Buenos Aires and although more and more efforts are being made each year to improve these conditions, there is still a long way to go until we see a better balance of these two faces in this beautiful South American city.
Being a volunteer in Buenos Aires means being able to travel, live, learn about the Argentine culture, meet new people, and enjoy everything the city has to offer while also giving back to its people, society, and adding hope for the future.
