Foundation Manos Abiertas – Shelter Home Madre de la Ternura (Mar del Plata)
The Shelter Home Madre de la Ternura (Mother of Tenderness) of the Manos Abiertas (Open Arms) Foundation in Mar del Plata (address: calle Corrientes 3264) offers shelter and protection to mothers and little children in fragile situations. The house in which the shelter is established is owned by the Manos Abiertas Foundation. It is located three blocks from the Maternal and Children’s Hospital, which facilitates medical care for the mothers and their children. The surface area of the house is 325 m² and is more than 60 years old. It has a kitchen-refectory, 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, a living room, a storage room, a laundry room, a covered arcade and a courtyard.
Closing of the project “Roof leak repairs”
The “Roof leak repairs” project, financed by SSNA was successfully completed.
Thanks to this completion, Manos Abiertas will be able to use 100% of the space available to welcome mothers and children.
The initial state of the roof project
At the time of requesting assistance, the house’s roof was originally built in cement fiber and panels. Due obsolescence of these materials, the roof’s state was totally deteriorated, thus provoking water leaks in the house. Seen as Manos Abiertas was planning to extend its assistance to more vulnerable mothers, the repair of these leaks was crucial to start with various refurbishments of the house.
The beneficiaries are 100% women, boys, and girls who don’t have their basic needs covered, homeless, out of work, sometimes victims of gender-based violence, without family ties nor a social network. The ages range from 18 to 40 years old. 90% of these persons live in suburban marginal areas of Mar del Plata, the other 10% are from other cities.
The Scope of the Organization
Thanks to the work of 45 volunteers, the Home can offer shelter on an ongoing basis (day and night) to mothers and children. Also, university students contribute, fulfilling their social internship. At the shelter kitchen, sewing and art classes are offered for the personal and professional development of the mothers.
During almost 7 years of operation, 55 women (some pregnant), 75 children, and 17 mothers of hospitalized children have been hosted. On average, 10 mothers and 12 children per year benefit from the project. Team Mother Teresa: 15 elderly per year. Team San José: 12 terminally ill per year. Music lessons for children: 37 boys and girls in 2 years.
Expected results:
The requested funds will be used to repair the water leaks of the roof, in order to proceed to expand the facilities.
The goal of this project is to:
- Expand the capacity in order to keep receiving mothers and children who are in vulnerable situations.
- To obtain this goal, the first priority and ongoing concern are to improve the conditions of the facilities.
Budget: 5000 euros.
Website: http://www.manosabiertas.org.ar/
