The Tempo Giardinelli Foundation is a non-profit Non Governmental Organization whose essential mission is to promote and foster reading. It is an educational institution that carries out activities and programs through a Study Center while trying to fulfill the present and future Culture demand in Chaco and all the Northeast region of Argentina. In addition, it is a common cause institution which supports reading-related social programs.
The Foundation created, and currently organizes and sponsors only the following institutions and programs with permanent office in the building located on 355 José María Paz Street in the City of Resistencia.
— Center of Advanced Literary and Social Studies (CAELyS-Chaco)
— International Forum to Foster Books and Reading (FIFLL)
— The Grandmothers Telling Tales Program
— The Assistance Program for Children’s Dining Halls
— The Foundation’s Library and Newspapers Archives
— The Juan Filloy Institute of Literary and Social Research (IILS-JF)
— The Postgraduate Seminar: Argentine Literature, Criticism and Creation, in association with University of Virginia (USA)
— Literary Autumn and the Autumn of Thinking
— The Children’s Literary Spring
Any other institution or program that has not been mentioned above is absolutely unauthorized. Furthermore, the Foundation is not liable for any procedures taken and/or developed by people who are not expressly authorized.
All the opinions stated by the founder and president of this institution, as well as his participation in collective activities only engage and represent him and nobody else. However, the Foundation is associated with many common civic causes because of their ideas, mission and objectives.
As of the beginning of 2004, the Foundation takes part in the project “Public Media, a State Policy" together with many other NGOs with which it keeps fraternal bonds. It also fosters and supports all the efforts that are being made so that our country can have a State Policy of Communication agreed by consensus as well as democratic, plural, decentralized and with citizens' control which guarantees the healthy coexistence of official media and private and public non-official media.
In September 2004, the Foundation also signed to join the Campaign of the International Labor Organization against Child Exploitation.
In addition, the Foundation shares –through our founder and president, who is a member of the Advisory Council- the work and philosophy of the Comisión Provincial de la Memoria (Memory Provincial Commission) of Buenos Aires Province.
Finally, during the years 2001 and 2003 until its dissolution, the Foundation shared the essence of the ideas stated by the group of intellectuals called El Manifesto Argentino (The Argentine Manifesto).
The Northeast region of Argentina is composed of the Provinces of Formosa, Misiones, Corrientes and Chaco. Chaco is where we work, a place where 2.7% of the total population of the country (978,956 inhabitants) is scattered over 99,633 square kilometers of very fertile lands which have been devastated by floods, unsustainable environmental policies, poverty and unemployment.
According to the information provided by several consulting agencies and official reports, almost 70% of the population of Chaco can be classified as NBU, i.e. people with their Basic Needs Unsatisfied. This sad reality places Chaco among the poorest provinces in Argentina together with Formosa and Corrientes, its two neighbors.
The Foundation specifically carries out its work in the area called El Gran Resistencia (Resistencia Suburbs), i.e. the urban conglomerate of the province formed by the Municipalities of Resistencia, Barranqueras, Puerto Vilelas and Fontana.
Due to the lack of planning, about 400,000 people have concentrated there. They live in the area that forms the flood bed of one of the main rivers in South America, Paraná River, in the area demarcated by the watershed of the rivers Negro (to the North), Arazá (to the South) and Riacho Barranqueras (to the East). Most of the area is low and flood prone, it has mainly recent alluvial soils, which are young and hydromorphic. Communications are the only privilege of this location. Resistencia is a nodal center where land, fluvial and air routes converge so the place is well connected to the region, the country and the world. In addition, it is almost an unavoidable path for all the exchange carried out among the MERCOSUR nations.
Trad: Cecilia Poratti.