Meitiv Program Provides More than Meals to a Young Girl and Her Grandmother

While Rosa, 65, is frying meatballs in a pan with no handle, her granddaughter, Marta, 9, spins around the kitchen, practicing rikudim. Tall with long legs, Marta is particularly well-suited for her hobbies of Israeli dancing and ice skating. "She is recovering the smile," Rosa whispers, so as not to distract the young girl. It has been a difficult recuperation since tragedy struck the family four years ago.

When Marta was a toddler her mother Patricia, a single parent, was diagnosed with cancer and passed away when Marta was only six years old. Since that time, Marta has been living with her grandmother. Struck with grief, Rosa withdrew from the Jewish community, and stopped attending Shabbat services. She returned to the synagogue a few months ago for the first time. "The Yiddish songs comfort my soul," she says. "I've missed that."

For Rosa, losing Patricia was made worse by the family's vulnerable financial situation. When Patricia became sick, Rosa quit the modest job she had to take care of her daughter. Although she has since enrolled in every local employment center and is an able shoemaker, Rosa's age makes it virtually impossible for her to find work in Argentina's critical economic climate.

Her home is spacious but in a state of disrepair that is typical of the country's "new poor." A shelf holding Patricia's old books, on philosophy and communication, runs along the cracking walls which Marta has begun to cover with collages. They cannot afford heating or adequate light. "I know we need a lamp in the living room, but I just don't have the money to buy it," Rosa admits. She and her granddaughter sleep on old mattresses in the bedroom they share. "Marta is afraid to sleep alone," says Celia.

In spite of her needs, Rosa's pride makes it difficult for her to ask for help. She once attended a Jewish community "closet", where household items are distributed, and ended up arguing with the volunteer. "I told her I didn't want to take those dusters," Rosa recalls. "I just would love to have at least a part time job and be able to buy them, as I always have."

Through one of JDC's 75 Social Assistance Centers in Argentina, Marta and Rosa receive a monthly debit card for the local supermarket. Marta also has a full scholarship to the Jewish school in the neighborhood. The Meitiv program, co-sponsored by JDC and AMIA, provides a nutritious daily lunch to Marta and over 1,100 Argentine children whose families are living in difficult economic situations.

"Hamburgers are my favorite," says the young girl, who enjoys having lunch with her friends each day. Rosa is relieved that her granddaughter now has a healthy, balanced diet. "She has gained back some weight and her nose has stopped bleeding," says Rosa, looking on as Marta demonstrates a new dance move. "The most important thing is that she is beginning to look happy again."