Argentina

One fully funded Award to volunteer in La Casita del Quirquincho

Chilecito and the surrounding community has a population of 42.000 people. It is a picturesque place surrounded by small and rocky hills and not far from El Famatina, one of the highest mountains in Argentina. Like many Argentinean towns, Chilecito is a place of social contrasts and contradictions. Up to 20% of the population live in poverty and the poorer children often survive on one meal per day. This project caters for 40 children aged between 3 and 9 years of age. The children spend about 3 hours each afternoon, from Monday to Friday, at the project where they are served lunch and receive help with their homework. They also learn team sports and a variety of other hobbies and educational activities. As this is a new project a dynamic volunteer with lots of initiative and new ideas is required.

Application Deadline: 1st April 2012. Interviews will be held in April 2012. The names of selected participants will be announced in May 2012.

School birthday party: Aislinn McCauley, the 2010 Travel Award winner to Argentina holding a birthday party for one of the children in the school where she worked as a volunteer.

Details

Age profile: 18 or over on 1st June 2012.


Travel dates: June - August 2012.


This travel award includes:

  • Return flights from Ireland to Buenos Aires, transfers in Argentina and health and accident insurance.
  • Mini stay and "Arrival Orientation" in Buenos Aires.
  • One-to-one Spanish classes in Chilecito.
  • Transfer to host community & arrival orientation.
  • 9 - 10 weeks volunteer placement in Chilecito including full board accommodation with a local family.
  • Local mentor and support while in Argentina.
  • Total stay of 10 weeks.

How to apply

Each entry needs to be specific to the country you wish to apply for i.e. you cannot use the same entry for more than one country. You need to download and complete a Travel Award application form and forward it in hard copy form to reach EIL by 5pm on March 25th 2012.

You also need to tell us: "What you would hope to learn while on the programme and how the experience might benefit you upon your return to Ireland."

You can do this by using any one of the following formats:

  • An essay of not more than 700 words.
  • A project format of not more than 8 A4 size pages combining pictures, clippings, art, drawings and writing in any combination you wish.
  • Create a video not longer than 4 minutes and submit it on a CD, DVD or memory stick

A selection committee will shortlist a number of entrants and these will be invited for interview in Dublin on a Saturday in mid April 2012. The winners will be announced in May 2012. The decisions of the adjudication panels will be final.

Photos & Videos

Photos: 

Blogs

My experience so far in northwest Argentina

18 Aug 2011 - 12:30am

Chilecito is a small city with a main plaza. This plaza is where I hang out, drink coffee and meet with my friends. The plaza is only a 5 minute walk from my host house so I am in walking distance  from the banks, shops and post office. The landscape is extremely dry here, with the only water supply coming from the Famatina Mountains. I feel very lucky to have been granted the individual travel award to volunteer in this beautiful place.

Cordoba city

9 Aug 2011 - 10:01pm

My volunteer placement means that I work Monday to Friday and I have every weekend off. I am using my spare time to travel around this beautiful country and this weekend I travelled to Cordoba which is the second biggest city in Argentina. You can travel all around Argentina by bus, the buses travel throughout the night which is nice. I got the bus Friday night and arrived in Cordoba Saturday morning which was great because I didn’t waste a full day travelling.

Vacaciones del invierno en Chilecito

29 Jul 2011 - 2:03pm

It is winter vacations here in Chilecito. The kids have been off from school for two weeks and as a result fewer kids have been coming to the comedor. It has been lovely to work with a small group of kids and I am getting to know their individual personalities more and more. My cooking is improving every day and I am really enjoying preparing the food for the kids. The kids love it when we cook  pure de papa y huevos fritos (mashed potatoes and eggs).

 

My First Week in Chilecito

16 Jul 2011 - 9:40pm

Sorry about the delay in getting my blog up for everyone but time is flying by very quickly here in Chilecito and I honestly can’t believe my first week is over already. I have already fallen in love with everything here  the people, the food (Dulce de leche... Nina you were right very addictive) and my project. I arrived in Chilecito at 9.00 am Friday the 1st of July. The landscape here is so vast and breathtaking, I have probably taken 100 photos of the Famatina mountains already they are honestly so beautiful.

First stop.... Buenos Aires

29 Jun 2011 - 11:25am

Saludos desde Buenos Aires

El Regreso - Back to Ireland!

28 Sep 2010 - 1:46pm

Hi everybody! I'm back from Argentina about 3 weeks now and I'm already finding it hard to believe that I was really there! It turns out coming home is almost as hard as leaving in the first place. I'll tell you all a bit about my last few days in Chilecito, the journey home and what its like to be home!

El Zonda and el Jefe del Comedor!

21 Aug 2010 - 11:51am

¡Hola!

Apologies again for the delay between my posts. My only excuse is that I have been so busy, I haven't noticed the time passing! Hard to believe it, but I am now in my second last week in Argentina.

Snow in July (!!), Dia del Amigo, Bouncy Castles and a little bit of DIY!

26 Jul 2010 - 2:48am

¡Hola from Chilecito, Argentina! I've delayed posting this for a few days, because I stupidly stood on my camera lead, and now I can't upload my photos! I'm annoyed because I took lots of great photos to accompany the blog but unfortunately I just can't find a way to get them on the computer! Anyways the show must go on...

Bienvenido a Chilecito

3 Jul 2010 - 10:50pm

Greetings from Argentina, where World Cup disappointment has slightly dampened the mood here in Chilecito!! Argentina´s 4-nil defeat by Germany has not upset me too much after an incredible first week and a bit here!!

FELIZ DIA DEL NIÑO !!!

17 Aug 2009 - 5:19pm

Happy Children’s Day! And what a great day it was. Children’s day in Argentina is on the 11th of August but we celebrated it in the comedor on the 16th of August which was yesterday. It was a special day. Families from the neighborhood came to the comedor to eat nice food, play party games and get a present before they went home.

Terms & Conditions

  • Nominations should only be made with the full permission of the young person involved
  • Shortlisting may take place and interviews will take place pror to final selection
  • Each successful applicant must complete all necessary supplementary application forms as required by EIL (including parental/guardian permissions if under 18)
  • Selected applicants forfeit their place on the programme should he/she not be able to fully participate on the programme on all the dates as specified
  • Young people will need to demonstrate an appropriate level of maturity and responsibility in order to participate
  • All persons making nominations and all the young applicants agree to accept the decision of the EIL adjudication panel as final.