Argentina boasts the third largest economy in Latin America which is a result of a well developed industry. Like in many other countries, the incomes are also unequally distributed in Argentina. The educational system is plagued by underfunding. Cancellation of lessons and unavailable school material are a daily occurrence.
Kolping in Argentina
The National Association in Argentina was founded on 23 June 1979. It has about 2,060 members in 33 Kolping Families. Due to the challenges the country is faced with, the main emphasis is placed on the support of projects focusing at:
Shoe factory “Marvel Shoes“
Evelyn (26) and her husband Marco (32) used to work in a shoe factory. When the factory closed down a few years ago, they suddenly ended up on the streets. Due to the economic crisis in Argentina, they could not find a job. But they had learnt to make shoes and only needed money to buy materials.
“Kolping helped with a loan so that we could buy leather, soles and patterns, and we could found our small company Marvel Shoes”, recalls Evelyn. The business was a big success right from the start and the money was paid back soon. Most of the shoes which are sold in Argentina are imported from other countries, hence they are expensive. A pair of Marvel Shoes costs around 35 euro, they are long lasting and are made individually according to the customers’ wishes.
Evelyn and Marco recently took out another loan: 1,500 euro for a specific machine which is used to thin out leather. This makes the work much easier and helps to carry out the large number of orders quickly. “We are very pleased with our business. It is running well, we are earning some money and it is nice to receive so much positive feedback from the customers”, says Marco. His wife adds: “We wouldn’t have made it without the support from Kolping”.
