Giving back – The Untitled Approach
Partnering with Cartoneros y sus Chicos

About the Charity

After the shops in Argentina’s capital city have closed, the working day of the cartoneros begins. Around 35,000 people make their way to the city center to sift through the day’s rubbish for reusable materials. Plastic, glass, cartons, metal, wood or paper – the cartoneros load all recyclable materials onto their “carts” and bring them to the recycling plant. The next morning, the items are then separated by materials and resold.

This is the only way in which many of Argentina’s people, plagued by the years-long economic crisis, have been able to guarantee their survival. The cartoneros are a marginalized population and eschewed by society. Because of this, the Jacobs family of Switzerland have created the Cartoneros y sus Chicos Foundation – an active Foundation created to ensure that the children of the cartoneros are given an opportunity to live better lives.

Under the leadership of Renata Jacobs, Cartoneros y sus Chicos has set the goal of enabling the cartoneros of Argentina and their children to live better lives and look forward to a brighter future.
With this in mind, Cartoneros y sus Chicos is focusing on the cartoneros of the “Madreselvas” cooperative, who live in the Municipality of Pilar in Buenos Aires.

One aspect of their work is the educational support given to children and teenagers in the form of private tuition and material donations such as computers, books and writing materials. Extra-curricular activities, supervised by the teachers, are offered as well.
Health and hygiene are also important issues.  Local support has helped to raise awareness of the importance of dental hygiene in both children and adults. The children also receive nutritionally enriched cereal bars and a warm meal at school. They are taught how to approach food and nutrition and learn about the importance of a balanced diet.

But this is only the start. The Foundation fully realizes that further efforts must still be made to improve their quality of life.

Untitled, and our founder and CEO Martín Litwak are active supporters of the on-going fundraising efforts for Cartoneros.

Our work with Cartoneros allows us to “play it forward” and to help support a cause that resonates with us.
We are also looking to the future. With a continued focus on young people and art, Untitled is also planning for the creation of a Foundation in 2021 that will allow us to assist young artists in fulfilling their dreams either through scholarship programs and unique shows and exhibitions that will provide opportunities for them to showcase their talents on many levels. Art should not be just a path for the wealthy.

As with our company, we believe that to be disruptive, innovative and break new ground, an artist must approach a new work with a clear, open mind and the confidence in his or her ability to fill the canvas with fresh new ideas and interpretations. And, a young artist must be given an opportunity to challenge the norm and to break free of traditions.

At Untitled, we believe that investing in the future is crucial, and we hope, through our work with Cartoneros and also our creation of our Foundation, to be able to provide young artists with an opportunity to disrupt and innovate and amaze!

Watch this space for more information and Foundation details.