A Special Partnership with Loyola Foundation for Young People in Argentina
The Loyola Foundation, a family-based charitable organization primarily dedicated to supporting overseas Catholic mission activities in less developed countries, has partnered with the La Salle International Foundation and Lasallian ministries worldwide for years. In 2024, that partnership strengthened to a new level as Loyola Foundation board members selected a special “impact project” focused on empowering young people in Argentina.
The Loyola Foundation staff approached La Salle International Foundation to explore partnering with us on a single, more impactful project with an amount almost five times their usual grant. This special project would provide Loyola board members the opportunity to learn about a project from the beginning and be involved throughout the project development and implementation phases.
After receiving several ideas and options from La Salle International Foundation and La Salle Foundation (Rome), Loyola board members viewed presentations from Lasallian projects in Argentina and Brazil. Although the board wished they could fund both, they selected the project in Argentina.
The project strengthens social-educational spaces for children, adolescents, and young people in the González Catán neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is a partnership between the Brothers and Lasallians at the school, the La Salle Foundation in Argentina, the La Salle Foundation in Rome, and La Salle International Foundation. It aims to reduce inequality in the community, enabling approximately 600 children and young people to access quality education in a space equipped with the necessary resources and environment to foster their success.
This space is located near the Armstrong Foundation School and is open to the community. It offers traditional educational opportunities, as well as recreational and community activities, training programs, workshops, and other initiatives to support the community’s needs.
Several Loyola board members visited the project in late summer 2024, and work is underway to renovate and improve educational spaces, as well as purchase equipment for the Complementary Education Center, which serves children up to the age of 12. The center’s focus is literacy, community building, and improving student success in school. With the renovation, a Makerspace program will enable older youth to utilize technology and creativity to support their educational success and strengthen their community.
The Loyola Foundation has received regular updates on the project, has scheduled update meetings with La Salle Foundation Argentina staff, and plans another visit from board members in mid-2025. Together and by Association, young people continue to be served through our worldwide Lasallian mission.