3 September 2025

Santa Fe, September 2025 — Under the principle of “no one left behind,” the ES VICIS Foundation, in partnership with Junior Achievement Santa Fe, is offering scholarships to primary and secondary school students in rural villages across the province of Santa Fe, Argentina, where many young people migrate to urban areas in search of opportunities. The initiative ensures equal access to essential skills for inclusion by integrating financial management and applied artificial intelligence courses directly into the school timetable.   The training is delivered through Junior Achievement’s online campus, with materials adapted for children and young people. Local teachers accompany students throughout the process, making sure every participant can follow and benefit. One of the programmes introduces generative AI, addressing ethics, daily applications and tools such as Microsoft 365 Copilot. It consists of six modules (12 hours in total) designed to foster creativity, critical thinking and digital autonomy. In parallel, financial education modules provide age-appropriate paths on budgeting, saving, credit, insurance and investment. Depending on the level, each course lasts between five and six hours, combining self-directed learning with sessions led by volunteer professionals. With this alliance, ES VICIS Foundation and Junior Achievement Santa Fe reaffirm their commitment to rural youth, equipping them with essential financial and digital skills. The goal: to strengthen career prospects, empower participation in the 21st-century economy, and ensure that no student—no matter how remote their community—gets left behind.   Santa Fe, September 2025 — In partnership with Junior Achievement Santa Fe, the ES VICIS Foundation is offering scholarships to primary and secondary school students in rural towns across the province of Santa Fe, Argentina. The initiative provides access to courses in financial management and applied artificial intelligence, integrated into the school timetable to ensure equal participation. The training is delivered through Junior Achievement’s online campus, with materials adapted for children and young people. Local teachers accompany students throughout the process. One of the programmes introduces generative AI, addressing ethics, daily applications and tools such as Microsoft 365 Copilot. It consists of six modules (12 hours in total) designed to foster creativity, critical thinking and digital autonomy. In parallel, financial education modules offer age-appropriate paths on budgeting, saving, credit, insurance and investment. Depending on the level, each course lasts between five and six hours, combining self-directed learning with sessions led by volunteer professionals. By providing these opportunities, ES VICIS Foundation and Junior Achievement Santa Fe aim to equip young people in Argentina’s rural communities with essential financial and digital skills, strengthening their career prospects and empowering them to actively participate in the 21st-century economy.

Buenos Aires, September 2025 — Entrepreneurs with strong potential for local impact have entered the second stage of My Business ROOTED in My Village. After nine weeks of intensive training with more than 100 participants, selected projects are now receiving individual mentorship. The mentoring process is tailored to each business, aiming to strengthen growth strategies, refine value propositions, and support scaling. 📌 Selected ventures include: Piel y Cosmética – Pilar Fox (Maggiolo) SV Polirrubros – Sintia Mabel Venialgo & Rubén Nicolás Bravo (María Teresa) Naturale – Natural Cosmetics – Marisa (Humberto Primo) Chocolates S Artesanales – Susana García (Dolavon) Tortas Negras ALIS Teissen Duu – Alicia Elaine Vera (Dolavon) Doble V Deco – Mariana (María Teresa) Lavadero de Ropa ANATY – Alicia Exner (Santo Domingo) Bicicleta Eléctrica CARGO BIMAC_MOBI – Miguel Corbalán (Colonia Raquel) Cooperativa Textil CONFEMAG – Mónica Saralegui (Maggiolo) Gestoría Integral – Griselda Tardini (Maggiolo) Huepil Eco – Eco Products – Romina Ramallo (Arias) Dulce Cielo Jewelry – Martina Brisa Serrano (Colonia Belgrano) Para Todo Hay Remedio – Ángela Argañaraz & Morena Orellana (Telsen) This stage is led by two experienced mentors, Josefina Goñi Bacigalupi and Sofía Piqué, and coordinated by Romina Gleria, Head of Economic Development at ES VICIS Foundation. This new phase marks an important step in strengthening the entrepreneurial ecosystem of Argentina’s rural communities, fostering innovation and generating opportunities that encourage young people and women to build their futures locally.

Buenos Aires, May 2025 — For the second consecutive year, ES VICIS Foundation and the Swiss-Argentine Fundación Alimentaris have renewed their partnership to promote entrepreneurship in small rural towns through the programme My Business ROOTED in My Village. The new edition of the programme, launched in May 2025, supports local entrepreneurs with training and mentoring to strengthen their business plans and enhance their digital marketing skills. The initiative seeks to foster businesses with strong local impact while unlocking the entrepreneurial talent within each community. The agreement was signed in Buenos Aires by Cintia Jaime, Co-Founder and Executive Director of ES VICIS Foundation, and Karina Bentivoglio, Co-Founder and President of Fundación Alimentaris. For Fundación Alimentaris, the partnership forms part of its Sustainable and Inclusive Value Chains programme, which aims to reinforce environmentally sustainable and socially inclusive businesses. Both foundations reaffirm their shared goal of revitalising local economies and creating rooted, decent employment in rural areas. By promoting sustainability principles in local enterprises, the alliance contributes to the development of responsible and resilient business models that can strengthen Argentina’s rural communities.  

The participation of ES VICIS Foundation at the Iconic Palermo Rural Exhibition generated broad coverage in Argentina’s national, provincial and local media.   Major outlets reported on the initiative, including: La Nación (22/07/2025): Read article  Sociedad Rural Argentina – Institutional Website (22/07/2025): Read article  Chacra TV (21/07/2025): Interviews with Mercedes Manfroni, Jorgelina Aguirre, Gonzalo Goyechea and Agustín Romegialli  Radio Continental (22/07/2025): Listen here  Other outlets such as LT9, Informe Digital, Primicias Rurales, Agrolink, Sur 24, La Nueva, Mundo Rural, Ser Campo, Radio 10 and many others also highlighted the programme. This wide visibility shows the growing interest in initiatives that promote rootedness (arraigo) and new opportunities for Argentina’s rural communities.

Under the theme “Strengthening villages is strengthening the country,” the ES VICIS Foundation presented its proposal for impactful local development at the Brangus Patio of Argentina’s leading rural exhibition. The Foundation was invited to showcase its rural development model, alongside key initiatives to boost local entrepreneurs through My Business ROOTED in My Village. The session brought together a notable audience and featured testimonies from leaders of three towns in the province of Santa Fe. Discussions highlighted the transformative potential of empowering local change agents and entrepreneurs — with special focus on women and youth in small rural communities as drivers of social and economic change. Opening the session, Mercedes Manfroni, Coordinator of ES VICIS Foundation in Argentina, emphasized the vital role of the agricultural sector as a partner in sustainable territorial development: “We wanted to bring to this exhibition in the city of Buenos Aires the voice of rural villages, which exist thanks to the countryside economy — and vice versa. They are natural allies, and there is still much to be done in strengthening this alliance Jorgelina Aguirre, dairy farmer and community leader from Maggiolo, shared her perspective from both a community and productive standpoint: “We must all become aware of our importance within society. Our fields are far from the capital, Rosario, or Santa Fe. If we do not commit to our local reality, it will be very difficult to benefit from broader opportunities.” She explained how, thanks to the ES VICIS Foundation, a doctor from Rosario relocated to Maggiolo last year to address urgent needs at the local hospital. Gonzalo Goyechea, communal president of María Teresa, stressed the importance of citizen participation and cross-sector collaboration: “Together with ES VICIS Foundation, we recently completed a survey covering 50% of households to better understand the needs, expectations and priorities of each family. We want a forward-looking vision, thinking about what kind of village we aspire to in 10, 15 or 30 years.” Agustín Romegialli, president-elect of Labordeboy, reflected on the impact of entrepreneurship training and mentorship in his town. He introduced Benjamín Spadoni and Natasha Dubrowsky, two entrepreneurs trained and recognized by My Business ROOTED in My Village 2024: “We know many young people leave for the cities due to lack of opportunities. To create the right set-up for their future in our village, we are focusing — with the support of ES VICIS Foundation — on training and mentoring young people as they launch their businesses.” The presentation concluded with contributions from institutions, companies and organizations committed to local development, fostering an open exchange of ideas on how to promote sustainable, inclusive and participatory growth in Argentina’s villages.