This Wednesday there was a large fire in a deposit of paper and cardboard in Villa Itatí, belonging to the Cooperative of Cartoneros located in Pilcomayo and Levalle, in quilmes district and near the border with Avellaneda.As a result of the accident several residents of the settlement evacuated neighboring houses, some of them with personal belongings that they were trying to protect.
The cooperative of cartoneros develops an important social role in the area with a canteen that was reinforced during the quarantine and school support and although there were no injuries, the material damage caused by the fire is immense, because it complicates the situation of more than 100 families who depend on the space. As a result of this, in Lo de Mariana (Eltrece) they made a live mobile from the place and the journalist Mercedes Ninci broke down when she saw the images and asked for solidarity among Argentines.
“Sorry, it makes me sick to so much poverty. What happens in Villa Itatí is tremendous. For something to happen to these honest and laburante people is tremendous. We can’t go on like this,” Ninci said through tears.
“If we Argentines don’t join and don’t give a plate of food to the ones you don’t have, this country doesn’t get ahead. I’m sick of the ‘disposable’ and the people of this villa are. I can’t do it anymore. Let’s start helping the other, no matter who governs… no one brings the solution. Let’s put the country on our chests and start giving a plate of food to the one that doesn’t have it. Let’s not expect politicians to do everything because they’re not going to do it,” he continued, trying to contain the anguish. “About 450 people eat there. More than a hundred cartoneros work in the place that caught fire. The Villa Itatí is the second largest in Latin America followed by a favela in Brazil,” the journalist continued, regaining her cool. For his part, Manuel Lozano, head of the NGO Fundación Sí and guest of the program added: “She said a word that is ‘discardable’ and I share what she mentions. I think it is important that those of us who have access to a microphone build on what we say. I try to be super careful because the fight and the argument doesn’t lead to anything and those who are there require us to put our bodies in and laburemos. I think everyone as a society has a share of responsibility.” “What happens to Mercedes obviously we all share,” closed the driver Mariana Fabbiani.
