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San Nicolas, Argentina.  The memory of the Mega Etxe Nasaia festivities is still in the hearts of the members.  The tenth anniversary of the program took place in the main square of the city and gathered a more than a thousand children, and was attended by former Lehendakari Juan Jose Ibarretxe who traveled to San Nicolas expressly to participate in the event.

Nevertheless, the tenth anniversary of the event and its stories, are now part of the past and members of Euzkal Etxea continue to work in an attempt to compensate the most vulnerable areas in the community.  This is why in 2013, they will return to the classic version of this program of solidarity.

[The kitchen is set up in the square, park or any other space outside and is where the menu is prepared.  The Basque club cooks have a lot of work cutting vegetables (photoNanomade)]

According to Natalia Hormazabal, local Basque teacher, “the children in the towns that participate this year, were not able to get to the Mega Etxe Nasaia last year, and so that is why we are going now.  As there will be four smaller events, we have called it “mini” Etxe Nasaia,” she explained.

Even if they are called “mini,” it is sure that each time the club cooks prepare a meal for more than 100 children in each locality.  In fact, in the two events in La Emilia and Rojo there were 265 and 165 children respectively.

[At each “mini” Etxe Nasaia there will be some kind of performance by a local group and Basque, Argentinean and that of the school cooperative are all raised (photoNanomade)]

“At events that we have already held, there were students from the local town school as well as from rural schools.  The date for the Etxe Nasaia in Campos Salles is November 1 and we are expecting 250 students.  We are also planning another in Conesa but the date has yet to be decided,” Hormazabal told EuskalKultura.com.

[The children enjoy their menu of chicken and rice at large tables served by Basque club members, during a fun day outside (photoNanomade)]

Remember that the Etxe Nasaia Program was born at the end of 2001, in hopes of reducing the impact of the economic crisis and its effects on school kids’ meals.