Immigrant Mutual Aid Society

You'll notice, to the very right of this page, the beginnings of something very near and dear to my heart: an effort to help those among us ...far, far from home ...to cope with coming to, establishing in, coping with, and fruitfully living here in Argentina.

The idea of such a "society" might have been laughable only a few short months ago.

However, now, with so many changes here and abroad, we might want correct our course of Yankee Individualism ...and take a page from our great-grandparents book and the books of other immigrants to the new world ...and pool our resourcefulness toward helping ourselves like every other to this side of the pond has done before.

We can laugh. Most of us are in tremendous good shape. We are still in an enviable position as regards our fellow residents of Argentina ...in fact, some of us are in better shape than our compatriots we left behind in the good ol' USofA.

However, I have met several expats that have been wiped-out by the recent "crisis financiero" ...and some of the others I have met can no longer depend on the remittances like they used to.

Some of us are working here ...but some of us are working illegally. The idea of US citizens depending on dwindling investments, smaller remittances, being employed without benefit of "papers", making the "Montevideo Two-Step" to keep our residency somewhat legal ...is alien to our self-image and our concept of ourselves and our people.

Toward that, I propose that we not re-invent the wheel. I could be wrong but the but the model of the old Immigrant Mutual Aid Societies of the 19th century could assist us all in building a 21st century Expat/Immigrant community that we could all be proud of.

Some of us could end up in more trouble than others. Some others of us will need the sort of help and services that many of us could provide without any bother at all. Some of us will need the kind of help that will require us to put our heads together to find a way to help ...if not a solution.

I don't see this as a yanqui-centric effort ...although our assistance will be limited to the English language at first. Maybe later, we can develop a core that can assist in situations that can encompass languages other than ingles and castellano. There is no reason, however, to limit our efforts to any particular nationality nor to our debt to the nation that has been our gracious host.

We US citizen could leave behind a trace of good works like so many other nationalities have done here in the Argentine. It could make us very proud.

"Immigrant Mutual Aid Societies" do not qualify for non-profit status under Argentine law ...thereby making the creation of an NGO difficult if not impossible.

However, I'm of a mind that, in this period that we are experiencing globally, to look for status and funding ...in advance of good works ...is fighting "the last war." Today, I think we should prove ourselves capable of rendering service ...then, perhaps, seek official status. It's an upside-down world today. The lack of available funding now shouldn't prevent us from "helping a fellow American down on his luck" anymore than it did our forbearers.

"Society" may be a bad term for this. However, if we never develop a societal leadership ...that won't be so bad. Amish barn-raisings and Syndico-Anarchists never looked to build institutions ...they simply came together for a purpose and lended any effort they could. When the job was done, they went home happy and waited for the next call to help another.

Each one of us has so very much to give. The assistance from one of our own that "has been there, done that" can be so valuable to someone in the kind of need that we all found ourselves in... once upon a time.

The graphic to the right is merely brainstorming on my part as to the needs of people that I see coming to Argentina still to this day ...and the sort of things that I'm certain that short and long time residents still need help with. A laundry list, nothing more.

Buenos Aires life has a component of leisure that we all love. If we have learned anything from our Argentine hosts, it is that helping a fellow compatriot does not need to interrupt that. A moment here, a moment there ...with the things that we have become "expert" in, could make all the difference in the world to a fellow extranjero in need.

As we all begin to digest this proposal, I hope that you will all ponder the things you have learned to do and accomplish, through the school of hard knocks, and share them and teach them to others that might not pass through certain crucibles as well as we have.

I offer this site as a clearing house for both the need and the abilities that we as a community have.

It's a 19th century model, to be sure. However, it may be the moment to re-learn some of the lessons of that time ...with a decidedly 21st century twist!

Think about it ...and give me your thoughts as you are thinking.