About the Project
The project consisted of purchasing supplies and hiring staff to run a puppet workshop and theater.
Location
La Boca, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Quick Project Stats
| Funding Date | 2023 – 2024 |
| Luena Investment | $2,500 |
| CBO Partner | Fundación Casa Rafael |
| Village | La Boca, Buenos Aires |
| Country | Argentina |
| # of Children Impacted | 35 |
| Community Contribution | manual labor |
Multiple Psychosocial Threats for La Boca Children
Casa Rafael has served over 5,000 children ages 4 to 18 years of age, with an average annual participation of 250. The organization works in La Boca, one of the most marginalized areas of Buenos Aires, the capital city of Argentina. Known as “Barrio Chino”, this part of the neighborhood is run down and insalubrious; its population is made up mainly of immigrants from the poorest regions of Argentina and the surrounding countries, particularly Paraguay. Away from their roots and often affected by separations from their families, the children there are living in precarious conditions and exposed to promiscuity. They are further exposed to drugs, which are sold quite openly, and conflict with the law. They tend to give up school and to take work in the informal sector. They often are exploited, become adolescent parents, or suffer any number of other trials that disrupt or stunt their development.
Casa Rafael’s key aim is to promote a process of resilience in children and adolescents who are exposed to psychosocial hazards. Casa Rafael’s strategy consists in stimulating children’s creativity and ability to use their inner personal resources and achieve autonomy by introducing them to a range of artistic disciplines and providing continuous psychological and social support. One of these artistic disciplines is that of the puppet theater which is highly complex as it involves a variety of techniques and resources: building puppets, using a range of different techniques and materials; learning how to move the puppets; creating sets/scenery for performances; creating small scenarios that the puppets may interpret; and using sound and light.
Arts Workshops Give Children a Safe Space to Develop Skills
The donation from Luena Foundation, combined with a donation from the Ryan Lam family, was used to pay the fees of two teachers who lead the puppet workshop once a week, for two and a half hours, and a psychologist who attends and participates with the children. The donation also supports the cost of filming the workshop process and the cost of an afternoon snack for participants.
Meet our Partner Community-Based Organization
Casa Rafael harnesses the transformative power of art to build resilience in children and adolescents exposed to psychosocial hazards. It aims to stimulate children’s creativity by introducing them to a range of artistic disciplines following the “Education Through Art” teaching method, while drawing on “Presence Pedagogy” and providing continuous psychological and social support.
To learn more about our partner organization, click here.
