The weather forecast called for rain in the afternoon and leaden gray skies threatened to ruin Christmas Eve in Buenos Aires. But under the motto “No family without Christmas,” around 1,000 volunteers from the Movement of Excluded Workers (MTE) and other social organizations met in Plaza Congreso after lunch to prepare the tables and serve Christmas dinner to around 4,000 people. Homeless, 1,500 more than a year ago.
By seven o'clock in the afternoon, the 200 tables arranged across the Argentine Congress building (so that no one turns away) were already covered with white, blue and floral tablecloths. The square was full of people: families, friends, people alone or in pairs, they came on foot with bags, strollers and baby carriers. “If I didn’t come to this dinner, I would be alone tonight,” was a phrase repeated by several people.
The dinner, which the MTE has been organizing for seven years, is attracting more and more people. 40.1% of Argentina's population is poor and almost 10% are destitute, meaning they do not even have enough income to feed themselves. This is a very high figure, but it is expected to rise even further in the coming months as the impact of new President Javier Milei's drastic cuts in public spending is felt.
According to the first national homeless census carried out by the MTE, Nuestramérica Movimiento Popular and the University of Buenos Aires, there are 9,440 homeless people in Argentina, of which 8,028 are in the city of Buenos Aires and 909 are minors. This number triples compared to the 2022 Census and the Ministry of Community Development and Habitat report from April last year.
The Christmas Eve dinner is organized by the Movement of Excluded Workers (MTE) under the motto “No family without Christmas”.VALENTINA FUSCO
The cooks from the soup kitchens, which they offer in various parts of the city and suburbs, are responsible for preparing the meals. In addition, they offer mobile showers that they install on Hipólito Irigoyen Street and a hairdressing salon. Volunteers cut hair. From 5 p.m. until dinner, around 100 people came by.
“I looked like new,” says Antonio, making a parodic gesture towards the advertising models. He comes from Misiones, is 54 years old, and came to Buenos Aires as a teenager to work in construction, a job that is very common among all the interviewees in this article. “It's very difficult to find a permanent job in this area,” he explains as a volunteer cuts and combs his thick, gray hair. He says he has been living on the streets for 30 years.
People were laughing and talking from table to table. Some already knew each other. Meanwhile, the volunteers, people of all ages, although most were young, ran with trays in their hands, balancing so they wouldn't fall. They stood in long lines to get drinks and food from the tents. Everything was much more than expected.
There was a couple sitting at one of the tables talking and two empty seats with small backpacks and coats. “The truth is that this is very nice for us,” says Jimena, 23 years old. Her red dress contrasted with her black hair and very white smile in the light of the reflectors. He rents a room with his two daughters, ages 2 and 6, who were playing with other children. There was a specially prepared children's area with bouncy castles, baseball players and a tent full of candy and colorful packages that Santa gave out at midnight. The current crisis is hitting children particularly hard: 56% of those under 15 are poor.
Emanuel, 28, is his partner and sat next to him. They clarified that they were recently together and that he is currently living on the streets because he has no money for rent. “I'm a bricklayer, but I don't have a permanent job. I do “changas” (informal and temporary jobs) for which I am paid very little. Sometimes he allows me to rent a room, but only for a day or two,” he explained with a resigned smile.
People are waiting for dinner and the delivery of gifts from Santa Claus. VALENTINA FUSCO
As night fell, the threat of rain seemed far away. People were waiting for dinner, chatting and laughing. Many of them showed the importance they attached to the meeting and the dignity they felt through the careful design of their appearance, clothing and footwear. “They don’t see us. For many people we don’t exist,” says Adela, a 75-year-old woman. With a tired expression, he says he thanks the social movements for the things they do because the system makes them invisible.
At 8:30 p.m., volunteers left the room and went to their assigned tables. They wore a black apron with the white inscription: No family without Christmas. They approached each of the guests and greeted them individually at the table assigned to them. They asked them about their lives, their stories, they sat next to them, they laughed, they called them by name, they addressed each other by their first names and a bond was created that made people feel cared for and cared for.
“This meal is a luxury,” thanked Emilio as he cut the baked matambre with salad that had been served to him. In addition, there were empanadas, sandwiches, cheese and cherry tomatoes as starters. The main course was chicken with Russian salad and rice salad and for dessert there were various cakes and sweet bread. This event was financed through donations of money and goods from people who are committed within their means.
On the streets since he was 9 years old
The interaction at the tables was friendly, funny, there was no tension. Sitting next to Emilio were Rosalía and Javier, a very young couple, along with their three daughters aged 8, 6 and 3. They come from Carlos Spegazzini, a suburb of Buenos Aires, and came from there to spend Christmas Eve with others. “I don't have a dime to give the girls gifts, and we thought this dinner would make them very happy,” Javier says seriously.
“After a long time, we managed to build a house on my old master’s property. We couldn’t live on the streets anymore,” adds Rosalía. Javier knows what it's like to live on the streets: he's been there since he was nine years old. His mother left him and he was recently reunited with her and two younger brothers. “I want my brothers to study and not live the way I lived. That’s why I brought her to my house.”
A child waits for the distribution of Christmas presents during the Christmas Eve celebration in front of the Congress.VALENTINA FUSCO
By 9 p.m. no one remembered the rain anymore. The tables were full. They offered space for 10 people, but in many cases this was exceeded. The live music on stage created an even more party atmosphere: folklore, tango, cumbia and rap took turns and the people accompanied with applause. The moment of greatest impact was when Santiago Motorizado, a national rock composer with engaging and popular lyrics, took the stage.
Juan Grabois, founder of the MTE, approached him at the end of the concert. He seemed to rejoice at the increasingly important outcome of a new calling and said he looked to the future “like Dante when he went to hell with Virgil: some hopes were lost, but firmness and the ideals of purity are that, what's going on for us. “Moving forward.” After taking photos and hugging the people who approached him, he entered the tent and began working with the volunteers who were preparing the plates of food.
“What do you mean by being homeless?” Gustavo asks rhetorically as he sits at a cozy table with four friends. “If someone has to choose between food and rent, is they homeless?” he asked indignantly. He didn't like the term. He expressed himself with a very correct vocabulary. At his side was “Jackie Chan Tung” (a pun associated with the Lunfardo “chantún”, informal, tricky), a man over 50 years old who has obviously read a lot and sings tangos in a very intoned voice. . He introduced himself as a friend of María Kodama and, to the laughter of the rest of the table, asked her to look for the video in which he was showing it.
Single mothers
Women and their role as caregivers continue to be reflected in the enormous number of single mothers with young children. Most of them lived on the streets until recently. There were also many working-age men who were not employed. “They don’t take you for your age or want to pay you a pittance,” agreed several between the ages of 35 and 55.
The dinner timing went perfectly. Around 11 p.m. the desserts were served and many people took them with them for the next day. Not only people with housing problems took part in the dinner. Pensioners were also present, like 65-year-old María, who explained: “Inflation has eaten my retirement. It took a week,” says María, adding. “I came not to be alone and to share dinner.”
As the cumbia band Cenizas performed classics of the genre, people got up from the tables to dance. Children with children, women with each other, men with women, men with men, everyone danced in the Congress Plaza to the rhythm of. “Give me Cumbia.” Santa Claus appeared among the people and the children were happy to see him. The first drops of a cold drizzle fell, but no one noticed. The children crowded in front of the tent containing the presents and walked with their hands full of bags. As the drizzle increased, the mothers marched with their strollers and a chain of boys holding hands behind them.
At 15 minutes before midnight it was raining heavily and Juan Grabois, head of the MTE, appeared on stage to greet people and encourage them to stay and toast. He mentioned the religious significance of the date for believers and criticized the restriction of rights that the Milei government is preparing.
“We respect, but we will also make them respect us,” he repeated twice, and the Christmas greeting became a speech in which he emphasized that they will stay in the fight and confront the power in the streets if they wants to overpower her. A few seconds before 12, he asked everyone to hug whoever was standing next to them. “Like every year, Congress has organized Christmas for homeless families until one day it is no longer needed. On the great commitment of colleagues in the social movements. Merry Christmas everyone!” he concluded. People applauded him, hugged each other and relaxed until next Christmas.
Homeless families listen to Juan Grabois, head of MTE, during the Christmas Eve celebration. VALENTINA FUSCO