We are committed to empowering the most marginalized communities to lead their own narratives — both in decision-making processes and in gaining visibility through the media. For this reason, activists who do not live in slums or informal settlements remain anonymous.
The network of assemblies made up of neighbors working to improve their living conditions represents the hope that a more equitable and responsible society — one that transcends borders — is possible. The value of the volunteer work carried out across the continent is immeasurable, with hundreds of people placing their trust in solidarity as the driving force for change, and respect as the foundation for working together
Our work is strengthened through collaboration among students, volunteers, academics, community members, and strong partnerships with civil society organizations, United Nations agencies, and international cooperation institutions. La Poderosa collaborates with organizations such as UNICEF, UNDP, UN Women, UN-Habitat, ILO, ECLAC, UNESCO, WHO, Oxfam, HIC International, Amnesty International, among others.
About Us
Founded in 2004 in Argentina, La Poderosa has built a community-led alternative to traditional political systems — one shaped by the voices, needs, and ideas of the people in each neighborhood. Today, we’re active in every province of Argentina, carrying out a wide range of programs based on the specific realities of more than 100 communities
2024: La Poderosa in Numbers
1,500
80
Volunteers
40
Part-time Workers
Full-time Workers
150
10,000,000
Community Soup Kitchens
40,000
Food Packets Delivered Annually
Meals Provided Daily
290
9
Eduactional, Recreational and Sports Workshops
28
Houses of Women and Gender-diverse Individuals
Productive Workshops for
Cooperatives
150
210
Articles in National Media
15
Local and provincial Media Coverage
Years of our own publication
"La Garganta Poderosa"
Join our grassroots movement to build justice, dignity, and opportunity from the ground up.
We believe in community-led transformation for lasting, effective change.
WHAT WE DO & HOW WE DO IT
The physical location of these settlements adds to their vulnerability. Many are built near garbage dumps, polluted waterways, or in flood-prone areas, where housing instability is compounded by environmental hazards.
Critically, the state is largely absent in these neighborhoods. Villas lack hospitals, health centers, schools, child and elder care, and even access to basic public services. The most visible state presence is often the police—frequently associated with violence, surveillance, and systemic abuse, particularly in communities of migrants and racialized residents. In these territories, exclusion is not accidental—it is systemic.
Residents of villas are primarily low-income families who work in highly precarious, informal sectors. Men are often employed in construction, while women are largely concentrated in domestic work, such as cleaning, caregiving, and household support.
Women in villas face a double burden: economic exclusion and the unpaid labor of caring for others, often in environments that offer little protection or institutional support. Their work is essential to society, yet consistently undervalued—and the stigma of living in a villa further limits their access to better opportunities.
We describe this as environmental poverty—where material hardship and chronic environmental risk intersect to severely impact quality of life.
In Argentina and many parts of Latin America, villas are informal settlements built by communities without access to formal housing, public infrastructure, or basic services. Most residents live without a safe water supply, sewage systems, natural gas, or secure electricity. These neighborhoods are often established independently on available land, with homes built informally and incrementally using a wide range of materials—from brick and concrete to wood, mud, and plastic sheeting.
Did you know that nearly 7 out of 10 people living in poverty in Argentina are women? And many of them reside in villas.
Still, within these same neighborhoods, there is an extraordinary sense of resilience. Despite exclusion and adversity, villas are vibrant spaces of cultural richness, solidarity, and collective organization. It is from these margins that powerful alternatives are being built—by neighbors who come together to challenge injustice, reclaim their rights, and lead change from the ground up.
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Territorial Reach
After 14 years of development in Argentina, our dream began to reach other parts of the continent. Today, La Poderosa is a reality in Argentina, Bolivia, Uruguay, Paraguay, Brazil, Cuba, Peru, Chile, Ecuador, Colombia, and Mexico, where citizenship continues to grow, organize, and engage — always respecting the idiosyncrasies and cultures of each place.
WHERE WE OPERATE
What is a "Villa" or "Barrio Popular"?
Community Action
We carry out a wide range of activities aimed at comprehensive human development.
Youth Empowerment and Inclusion
We promote the creative potential of children and young people while fostering social inclusion through culture, sports, and recreational activities. In each local assembly, these four pillars play a key role in the development of children and adolescents — helping to build confidence, nurture creativity, and strengthen self-esteem.
To break down prejudices, stereotypes, cultural barriers, ignorance, intolerance, and discrimination, we support:
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60 cultural spaces, leading to 10 cultural centers.
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75 sports spaces engaging over 1,000 children, creating 10 soccer teams.
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90 recreational spaces involving more than 1,500 children
Educational Support
We promote the improvement of educational conditions, with a primary focus on children, adolescents, and young people. In educational spaces, we carry out complementary strategies to schools, with educational promoters present in the territories, ensuring the link between the community and educational institutions.
Achievements include:
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55 connectivity nodes ensuring internet access.
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National campaign distributing 5,000 school kits.
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Addressing school dropout and learning delays in coordination with School Guidance Teams.
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Six cohorts of adult graduates from the "Villa 31" Bachelor’s program in Buenos Aires.
Economic Empowerment
We promote cooperativism as a model of labor organization to improve family income, while fostering democratic forms of work where solidarity and mutual respect among coworkers are the foundation for ensuring productivity and profitability. Currently:
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50 cooperatives operate in gastronomy, textiles, construction, graphic design, and rural tourism.
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More than 400 cooperative members.
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85% of members are women and gender non-conforming individuals, linking cooperativism closely with our gender initiatives.
Gender-Based Violence Prevention and Health Access
We provide support and case management for gender-based violence and health care, along with workshops on vocational training and popular communication. The Houses of Women and Gender-Diverse Individuals, created in 2018, serve both as spaces of support for women experiencing violence and as points of reference for their communities. To date:
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2,700 women and 850 girls and adolescents reached.
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Approximately 15,000 urgent cases of violence addressed — often cases previously undetected by the state.
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9 Houses of Women and Gender-Diverse Individuals operate across Argentina. Community Health Centers evolved from support spaces into comprehensive prevention and care models.
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Health promoters carry out essential services like blood pressure monitoring, sexual health counseling, nutrition support, and linking communities to public health services
Popular Communication & Media
To inform about the realities faced by underserved communities, promote our objectives, raise awareness, and inspire participation and support, we founded La Garganta Poderosa. Created in 2011, La Garganta Poderosa evolved from a monthly magazine into a multimedia platform.
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Staffed by neighbors trained as communicators, designers, photographers, and editors.
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Interviewed notable figures such as Pope Francis, Lionel Messi, Rigoberta Menchú, “Pepe” Mujica, Roger Waters, Ángel Di María, Francia Márquez.
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Recognized for journalistic excellence, human rights advocacy, environmental coverage, and democratization of voices
Food Security
This area follows two constant lines of work: responding to the urgent need to feed community members — prioritizing infants, children, and the elderly, and developing food sovereignty linked to local production for food spaces and commercialization. Today, as part of our Food Security program:
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150 food spaces are operated, including canteens, soup kitchens, and picnic areas.
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More than 40,000 meals are provided free of charge each day.
Data-Driven Change
To assist in making decisions that improve social, humanitarian, and environmental issues through research and data analysis, we created the Vilero Observatory in 2020. Through the Observatory:
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20 surveys conducted over 5 years.
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200 trained community surveyors.
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Indicators developed to inform actions, public policies, and support other social organizations
Notable colaborations:
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Qualitative report with UNICEF
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Community-led studies with El Gato y La Caja.
Organizations that Support Our Work
Contribute to La Poderosa
Your contribution helps build a more just, equitable, sustainable, and democratic society from the ground up — one in which communities are the architects of their own transformation — by providing food for families, health supplies for communities, tools and equipment for work cooperatives, and urgent support for victims of gender-based violence. Join us in supporting community-led change across Latin America!