“Every rainy day I think up ideas for how we can help these people,” Sol Winkel, CADENA volunteer
Meet Sol Winkel. She’s a volunteer with our partner, CADENA in Argentina. We had a Q&A to find out what she’s been doing to help people suffering through the pandemic.
1.) Where did you volunteer, for how long, what did you have to do there and what was the outcome when you were done?
I have been a volunteer for CADENA Argentina since last year. Throughout this year, I helped organize missions to different vulnerable settlements in Gran Buenos Aires, such as San Martin or Pilar. The missions include hosting recreational and educational activities, such as teaching how to separate trash and brush teeth. I also helped organize charity campaigns that collected food, warm clothes, and hygienic items. Last month during quarantine, I helped organize two projects:
- Food collection where neighbors from a slew of buildings could contribute items to the box food box
- And cooking breakfasts for doctors working in publIc hospitals.
En Español:
Soy voluntaria de Cadena Argentina desde el año pasado. Durante este año ayude a organizar misiones a diferentes asentamientos del Gran Buenos Aires, como San Martín o Pilar. Fui a esas misiones en las que realizamos actividades recreativas y educativas, en las que enseñamos a lavarse los dientes y a separar basura para reciclar por ejemplo. También colabore en la organización de diferentes colectas de abrigo, comida o elementos de higiene. En especial el mes pasado ayude a organizar dos campañas en cuarentena: una colecta de alimentos no perecederos en diferentes edificios en los que pusimos cajas en espacios comunes para que los vecinos colaboren. También en una campaña que consiste en cocinar desayunos para médicos de hospitales públicos.
2.) What was the most shocking thing you experienced during your volunteer experience?
Definitely homes getting destroyed after the flood. In Buenos Aires, floods are a common natural disaster. I went to a settlement (which was very affected after a huge storm) in order to analyze what we could build so that people would receive an alert before the river overflowed with rainwater. The floods often seep into people’s homes and the worst part is having to wake up from your sleep and leave your house in the middle of the night. If we could create an alert, people could leave their homes long before bedtime.
3.) What was something you discovered that you never knew before? Something you learned?
I discovered that rain can be a catastrophe for lots of people.
I was used to rainy days where you can stay at home and enjoy. It’s like a Sunday. But after seeing the catastrophe with my own eyes, seeing people lose everything including their house structures, every rainy day I think up ideas for how we can help these people, with donations of items and going to the settlements to do activities.
Saludos,
Sol Winkel
