Home is Where
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Home Is Where
A slum is growing in the center of Argentina’s capital city. At least 40,000 people, mostly illegal immigrants from neighboring countries, call Villa 31 home. The area is the most desirable in Buenos Aires because of its downtown location: close to the stock market and the wealthiest districts, as well as the city’s central transportation.
The municipal government views the slum as a blight, often imposing laws and raids meant to destroy it. For the people who live there, however, it’s a neighborhood. Children roam freely amidst the several schools, playgrounds and community centers within its borders.
In order to understand the various divides in Buenos Aires, between the wealthy and the poor, the government and the people- I photographed children. I felt an investigation into their lives would best illustrate the complexities of the situation. Children, unpolluted by politics, are the best indicators of injustice.
Unfortunately, the situation is not unique- substandard housing conditions are a major concern in Argentina.
More than half the population in the rural state of Santa Fe, Argentina, lives below the poverty line and without adequate housing. The NGO Habitat for Humanity has been working in the town of Recreo for the past several years. Through their labor, in conjunction with the city government and international volunteers, over 150 homes have been constructed. Most house single mothers, barely over the age of twenty.
In Recreo, I photographed children to show the other side of aid- what happens when people work together. The community is flourishing. The boys and girls play, ride bicycles, and finally, have homes.
The responses to substandard housing conditions in Buenos Aires and Recreo exemplify two courses of action: a government’s abrasive tactics and a non-profit’s powerful alternative.