Aldeas Infantiles SOS Argentina - Please Donate!

As 2009 comes to a close and we begin a new year, I started thinking about how lucky all of us are - we can put food on our tables, and have basic health care and shelter when the weather is bad. Not everyone in Argentina can say that. While this is a wealthy country by South American standards, there is still a lot of poverty in this country. Case in point: there is a family of 8-9 adults/children who live in a plaza across the street from my apartment and, just recently on my street corner, a new family has taken residence, with the children earning money by juggling in front of cars stopped at the streetlight.

I know in the past, I've probably sent you mass emails asking you to participate in Kiva (which I still hope you can support!) but I am now asking for your support for a different initiative - Aldeas Infantiles SOS Argentina. I have made a commitment to get more involved in Argentinean charities in 2010 - through a church I have recently started attending and through monetary contributions - and I hope you can do the same, remotely from the USA.

Part of SOS Children's Villages International, Aldeas Infantiles SOS Argentina primarily provides long-term care to children who, for whatever reason, can no longer live with their biological parents. This care includes education, food and housing.

Because the cost of food is relatively inexpensive here (due to the vast natural resources in Argentina), helping a child is very affordable. In fact, 34 pesos (less than $9) provides a child with 20 breakfasts. If you are able to make a donation to this worthy cause, please click here and complete the required information.

The photos you see above are real photos of villas miserias that are just minutes from my house, so you can see for yourself the abject poverty that affects many residents of Buenos Aires. Since these are not scenes often seen firsthand in most of the US, most people don't realize how different Argentina is from North America. I hope you can make a small donation and play a part in helping a few kids in Buenos Aires get a chance at a better life than they are now living.