The communications team visited La Boca to get some insight into how locals and community builders are helping combat these social issues. The first of our visits was a local community radio station. The radio station aims to provide a voice to everyone; their motto being “Donde caben todas las voces” (Where the room is for all voices). The station is said to be open to the entire community, not only providing a platform to express injustice but also to open conversations to these issues and suggest resolutions. Not only does this building serve as a radio station, but also a youth centre with teaching, kitchen and gym facilities. The communications team was lucky enough to join live on air for a segment to answer a few questions and give their perspective on social communication. 

The team had the privilege of meeting two locals Claudia and Marta, who graciously showed us around a compound that had been built with the purpose of safely housing twenty families. The infrastructure was designed to withhold from floods made with higher quality materials which are not often come by in the area. This housing is built for and built by the families that reside in the compound, forming a collective which has taken over eleven years to build what stands today and still continue to work towards completion. Claudia and Marta spoke of when the construction first began, the site required heavy guarding to prevent theft of materials, so the resulted infrastructure is a huge feat given all risks involved.

One day in La Boca certainly doesn’t even begin to scrape the surface of social and economical issues the barrio is facing. However, visiting these projects really highlighted the significance of community builders and locals like those we meet, for real change to transpire.