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A ship from Spain sailed with 300 tons of help to Argentina. Clarín, February 24th, 2002
It is food and medicine. The cargo was sent from Valencia by the catholic association Mensajeros de la Paz and will be distributed in homes of the elderly and children.
Juan Carlos Algañaraz. CORRESPONDENT IN MADRID.
In the harbor of Valencia, an impressive crane started loading at 5 PM the last three containers of the 300 tons of help sent to Argentina by the catholic organization Mensajeros de la Paz. It was a very emotional ceremony, followed by the appearance of special guests, authorities of the valencian community and Father Angel García, founder and main director of Mensajeros de la Paz who won the prize Príncipe de Asturias a la Concordia, because of his humanitarian help.To this campaign adds up “Argentina hurts us”, promoted by the Spanish church and Caritas organization, in which it is expected to be gathering six million dollars of help for Argentina. Yesterday, 77,000 masses were celebrated in 23,000 churches related to this campaign to make people aware of the terrible situation that millions of people in need are living.
“When I saw that the three containers were being loaded, it was the time of the departure. I was excited to think of the faces of so many people that I met in my recent visit to Argentina. I thought that there was something we could do to relieve that suffering”, explained Father García to Clarín.
The ship “Cecilia Maerks 0205” sailed hours later to Buenos Aires, where it will be arriving on March, 11th. They will be waiting for it at the harbour Father Angel García, ecclesiastical authorities and civilians from Argentina. “And I hope that some Argentineans, believers or not, that doesn’t matter, help us come in the aid of those who need it the most”, expressed the founder of Mensajeros de la Paz.
The campaign that came to an end with the shipment that took place yesterday is called “Spain with the Argentinean people”, and the cooperation of the Humanitarian Aid and Emergency committee of the valencian community has been of great importance, because not only has it made important donations, including money, but also it has run up with the expenses of storage, load and shipment of the whole cargo. The “Fallera Mayor” of Valencia, dressed in a regional suit, was at the ceremony of the ship departure, and remarked that she was particularly thrilled, because she is the granddaughter of Argentinean grandparents.
An impressive list of collaborators and donors made possible the shipment of the 300 hundred tons of food and medicine. “It was amazing to see the containers in the warehouse”, explained to Clarín a spokeswoman of Mensajeros de la Paz.
“The collaborations of anonymous Spanish donors have been thousands, and 15 tons of food picked up by messenger companies that did not charge for their work were able to be loaded”
The 300 tons of help that will arrive in Buenos Aires will be distributed all through the country by Mensajeros de la Paz in Argentina and by “Caritas Diocesana”. The main beneficiaries will be the centers that receive children living in the streets, and homes for the elderly.
Father García and several members of Mensajeros de la Paz have remarked that “we have received lots of e-mails from Argentina, after the interview with Clarín, from people who thank us for what we do and that offer us their help”.
“We are the ones that feel grateful. The most important thing is that the Argentineans know that we, the Spanish, love them very much and always think of them”, Father García said.
On January, 23rd, Mensajeros de la Paz made its first shipment of tons of powdered milk, sugar and chocolate. “We’re thinking of charting another ship if the donations keep coming like they’ve done so far”, Father García indicated.
“We are expecting to open in Argentina several homes for children that live in the streets and that are at social risk”, explained Father García. To defray that project, there will be a campaign to recollect funds. On March, 2nd a bullfight will take place in the Square of Leganés, Madrid, with the participation of the bullfighters Rivera Ordoñez, Manuel Díaz “El cordobés” and Miguel Abellán.
“I’m going to ask the Argentinean ecclesiastic authorities to provide us with a church in downtown Buenos Aires to keep it 24 hours open, with spiritual assistance and also with assistants and volunteers to try to solve the problems of those who seek our help”, Father García stated.
