Profile in Mission: Equipos Solidarios del Sur MINISTRY
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT LOCATION
BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA PARTNER
EQUIPOS SOLIDARIOS DEL SUR Becoming a democracy after years under a military regime has brought many changes to Argentinian society. While the changes made Argentina a participant in the global economy, the process has been rocky and painful. Currently, an economic crisis means 45 percent of all Argentinian families live below the poverty line. Two million people each live on one dollar a day, and fifteen million live in misery. Many depend on social institutions to feed them and help make ends meet. A new RCA partner in mission, ESUR, brings hope and care in this chaotic situation. ESUR's focus is on identifying problems and issues affecting people in high-density urban areas, as well as rural and semi-rural areas. ESUR gives priority to the powerless and defenseless: children, adolescents, mothers, the unemployed, and the marginalized. Founded in 1982, ESUR's present programming supports a day care center, a midday feeding center, and a training and educational center that responds to the needs of domestic workers. ESUR also provides training in community development and justice-related issues, health workshops geared primarily to empowering women, sewing training for adolescents, and a community garden project to provide an ongoing source of food. Ricardo Parera, president of the ESUR board, sees a need to work across denominational lines. The board is made up of volunteers who are professionals with hearts for ministry. They work half-time, unsalaried, for ESUR. As a parachurch organization, ESUR joins forces with others to address the systemic problems affecting the poor and oppressed. They work with the Anglican Diocese of Argentina, the ecumenical press, the Methodist Ecumenical Center, Lutheran and Evangelical churches, and the Reformed Church in Argentina.
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