By Margaux Maxwell and Suezy Marins Last Wednesday we interviewed two women from "Los Pibes," a community center in La Boca, on behalf of International Women's Day. The center provides food, job opportunities and educational activities for its families, as well as providing a voice to its community with its newly launched radio station, Radio Riachuelo. We asked the ladies about womanhood - its struggles and its joys, its lessons and universal meanings. They told us their stories: Community Center Elizabeth, a mother of 7 children, is from the province of Salta. She moved to “La Boca” and began working at “Los Pibes” 9 years ago. We sat down with her last week to ask about her life as a woman. In telling her story she revealed what it means to be a woman in La Boca, a tale of how the struggle of being a teen mother taught her the meaning of parenthood, and her dreams for the future. “Women and men are not equal. A woman’s life is very hard, and her sacrifice goes unnoticed under the shadow of men – who treat a woman as a slave”. This is Elizabeth’s description of womanhood in La Boca. She is a single parent, acting as both the mother and the father in her family. Despite these feelings, however, it is this struggle led to her understanding of what it means to be a parent: “I had my children when I was very young. I left Salta for them, so they could have a better life. Working at “Los Pibes,” I could feed myself and my children. I didn’t have a mother to help me, so it was difficult, I had no one by my side. “La Boca” was a very different place back then, this building was an Engine Factory – our shoes were always covered in grease. I’m proud to see what it is now, it is a better place. Growing up here with my sons was difficult, I was a mother but I was still a girl, so I didn’t understand what motherhood meant. I never neglected my children, but I was with my friends a lot. It was not until I was older, until I had lived, that I understood. It is a gift that God gave me and I am proud to be a woman, and to have my sons.” Even with her story at her back, or perhaps because of it, she carries a very relaxed demeanor. She never stops dreaming of and hoping for the future, as she shared with us on Wednesday: “My wish is that one day we will all own proper homes, myself and my peers. That is my dream. If we find good jobs, and make good money, this dream can become a reality.”

Elsa Ocampo. Age 71. Textiles at “Los Pibes” Community Center A woman overflowing with joy sits down to talk with us. She is sewing and listening to the radio with her co-workers when we enter. This lady is Alfonsa Ocampo, who at the age of 71 is still working in the textile cooperative at Los Pibes, a social and political organization located in La Boca neighborhood. In addition to her position in the textiles, Alfonsa is a mother and grandmother. During her interview, she tells us her story and speaks of the challenges of being a working woman and single mother. She was born in the city of Misiones, northeastern Argentina. She moved to Buenos Aires in 1993, caring for her nine children by herself. When asked what it means to be a mother, she told us, “I am not just a mother but a father, working as a both a man and a woman, I was the one who took care of everything. As all of these things, I feel very proud.” The friendly woman gets emotional when recalling the hard life she endured after separating from her husband and coming to Buenos Aires to find work. When her sister whom she was living with at this time passed away, she was alone in the world and without a place to live. "I had nothing and I was completely alone. I rented a small house in La Boca, but found no work. I came to Los Pibes with one hand in front of me and one hand behind me. I opened the door and talked to the boys, and to my joy they offered me a job. That was that, I began.” Alfonsa likes her job and calls it her second home, although it has been a struggle for her. She describes this when we ask her what her deepest joys and sorrows in life have been. "My daily battle has always been working, I started working when I was very young. It is my fight. And my joy is my family: my daughters, my grandson and my coworkers. Los Pibes is my second home.” Elizabeth’s and Alfonsa’s stories are a testament to the strength possessed by the women at “Los Pibes” Community Center in La Boca, Buenos Aires.