L.I.F.E.

Argentina
Partnership Handbook

What is L.I.F.E. Argentina?

What do we provide our volunteers?
How can we work with your organization?
 L.I.F.E. Argentina

What is L.I.F.E.?
L .I.F.E. Argentina is a non-profit family run
organization that works with children
and youth living in socially marginalized and
extremely impoverished areas of Argentina.

Luchemos por una Infancia Feliz y con Esperanza

We offer a number of programs and activities
that strive to provide healthy development,
happiness, and a hopeful future while Over
improving the quality of L.I.F.E. the past 8
I n our efforts to improve lives, our work
is focused on the children. Whether we
are providing an afternoon snack or new
years, LIFE has
received over
8,000 volunteers
clothing and school supplies, the common for over 70
goal of improving children’s lives is met. different
We also provide important educational countries.
and recreational activities for the children
we help. We work in collaboration with
community centers and soup kitchens run
in shanty towns located in socially excluded
areas in the suburbs of Buenos Aires City.
On a monthly basis, we also travel to the LIFE assists
northern province of Misiones to assist to the over 500
indigenous village of Peruti conformed by a
community of nearly 500 Guaraní people. children on a
regular basis.
Fprovided
unding for all programs, projects, and
activities which L.I.F.E. carries out is
solely through contributions made
by our volunteers as individuals, as well
as student groups and organizations we
establish partnerships with. We do not have
fixed state support or grants of any kind.
LIFE’s
E very child deserves a chance to live a
happy, healthy life and everyday that
we are able to provide this our mission
volunteers carry
out nearly 1,000
is accomplished. The kids we work with activities per
grow up in an environment surrounded by year.
poverty, violence, drugs, abuse, diseases,
absent parents or incomplete families, lack
of attention, care, contention, affection and
values. Along these lines, the constant flow
of volunteers is vital to the success of our
organization. Without our volunteers, none
of the projects and services we provide
would be possible.
 L.I.F.E. Argentina

The Volunteers
L .I.F.E. Argentina receives volunteers from all over the world.
The number of active volunteers per year we have is about
100 on a regular basis. We have a high rotation all year round
due to the flexibility we offer our volunteers to begin at any
time and to get involved in the organization at different levels
whether they stay for a few weeks or several months. Their
role varies depending on their skills, capacities, availability
and interests combined with the needs of the organization.
Volunteering at one activity at a community center takes
approximately 4 hours including round trip transportation
time. We offer different kinds of opportunities which are
mainly divided into regular volunteering and internships.

O ur volunteers share a common objective: to help. Thus,

we provide a setting in which every volunteer is enabled
to perform a role offering their abilities. All volunteers
have the opportunity to interact and help the children by
participating in weekly activities. These range from assisting
children with reading and writing, teaching English classes to
playing football with the kids or acting as a mentor. We offer
cooking classes, school support, birthday parties, computer
lessons, art, theatre, music, sports, and more according to
the talents we have at different moments.

V olunteering with L.I.F.E. is more than just an opportunity,

it is an experience. The activities we provide allow our
volunteers to truly understand the extreme need for children’s
assistance here in Argentina. Volunteers always leave having
made a huge difference in the lives of our children as well as
with a memorable experience to take home. L.I.F.E. Argentina
is more than an organization, we are a family.

E very volunteer is important to us and counts. Thus, we do

everything we can to make the volunteering experience
simple yet meaningful. LIFE has grown and progressed
significantly in the past years and continues doing so thanks
to the help of countless volunteers from all over the world
who joined efforts to help our cause by contributing through
their time, work, dedication, donations, ideas, suggestions,
feedback, friends and family, drawing thousands of smiles
and creating happy moments which others who follow carry
on sustainably.

“I have an unlimited number of kind, sweet, and unforgettable memories from my experienc-
es working with LIFE Argentina. They are forever in my heart and have changed my life.”
--Rebecca Szucs
 L.I.F.E. Argentina

The partnership
Working with LIFE Argentina
Our volunteer program is one of the best and most impactful in Buenos Aires. Not only do
we offer services and support, we create unique opportunities for volunteers to explore
the city and country while making an important impact in a place that so desperately
needs it. We require that all volunteers make a one-time donation to the organization
to help fund activities, programs, and projects that we create for the children living in
the shanty towns. The activities also require a transportation fee. We maintain a record
of each activity a volunteer registers for and charge the transportation fee accordingly.
These small fees are necessary to maintain this organization as LIFE receives no outside
funding other than the small donations from volunteers. In the case that the partnering
organization would like to include the volunteer fee and the transportation fee in the
package it offers, LIFE can develop a price package which will include all transportation
fees for the entire program.

Housing with LIFE What We Offer

LIFE offers housing for volunteers which
may be with a host family or local hosts,
other volunteers & students. These options
include rooms which may be shared with
another volunteer same gender, private
rooms or an apartment. The prices vary
according to the preference indicated.
All locations are in safe neighborhoods
of easy access to all transportation
means where there are supermarkets,
banks/ATMs, stores nearby. Full bedding
is provided as well as access to cooking
facilities and in most cases internet and/
or wi-fi.
A booking fare is required in advance prior
to arrival. It is not refundable, however it
counts off of payment for total stay which
is required upfront upon arrival.
We offer different packages of Spanish
classes for volunteers who want to learn
the language. (This service is optional and
not a requisite for volunteering with LIFE.)
All volunteers attend an obligatory
orientation session before they start their
volunteering. This orientation provides
information on protocol, activities,
volunteer responsibilities, precautions,
volunteer opportunities, etc.
All transportation arrangements for
volunteer activities are made in advance.
LIFE provides skilled coordinators to
direct and lead every activity.
All activities will be sent to volunteers
through e-mail as well as posted on our
volunteer website.

For more information, please e-mail Gabriel at

gabriel.semana@lifeargentina.org.
Luchemos por una Infancia Feliz y con Esperanza
Per. Jurídica 1703312 Av. Santa Fe 2121 – Buenos Aires – C1126ABB– Tel.4806-0640 – ìnfo@lifeargentina.org