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Euzkal Etxea announced that some artists and guests from the Basque Country have already confirmed their attendance at SNV that will take place November 6-12.  The Club also advanced that the preparations for the event are going at a good pace all while maintaining the club’s regular activities, including a this last charity event by its cooks.  Caritas of San Nicolas celebrated its 50^th anniversary and entrusted the services of the club, a reference in the city in activities of solidarity and large-scale food preparation. 

San Nicolas, Argentina.   The city of San Nicolas will be the site of this year’s Semana Nacional Vasca November 6-12th, and a large number of its members are singularly devoted to its preparation.  There are four months left, and the program is coming together.  Among the guests from the Basque Country who have confirmed their attendance are the singers Xabalitx, from Iparralde, and Mikel Urdangarin and Joseba Gotzon, from Bizkaia, along with an Otxote from San Sebastian.  On the political side, former Lehendakari, Juan Jose Ibarretxe and representative from Gure Esku Dago, Angel Oiarbide will also be attending.

Among the special activities planned is the 15th anniversary of the Etxe Nasaia Program, and other that support the use of Euskera, like a Mintzodromo.  As every year there will be a night of performances with the participation of all of the Basque clubs and a large number of live music, choir events and typical dances.

Despite the dedication that organizing such an event requires, the day to day of the Basque club also continues with its solidarity initiatives in San Nicolas and its county.  In this way, invited by the Foundation on July 2^nd, the team of cooks form Euzkal Etxea prepared a menu to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of the Caritas San Nicolas.  With much experience in carrying out this type of events, the Basque cooks prepared a classic paella for some 500 diners.

Solidarity Projects

It’s not a coincidence that the Caritas Foundation has invited the club to help with this task.  In fact, the Basque club, over the last few years, has become an icon of solidarity and food for largely attended events.

The largest solidarity projects that the club has carried out since the beginning of the new millennium are Etxe Nasaia (big house), Diasporaren Herri Kirolak (Rural sports in the Diaspora), Irakurriz Hazi (Reading is growing), and Umeak Jolasean (Children playing). In regards to Etxe Nasaia, pioneer in this kind of activity created in 2001, the year that Argentina suffered one its worst economic crises, with tow objectives: to help lessen the impact of this crisis on schoolchildren and strengthen the link between the Basque club and its community.  Within the framework of Etxe Nasaia the Basque club welcomes students from public schools and offers them food and a morning of activities to learn more about the Basque culture.  It also organizes drawing contests with materials provided the children by the club.

Irakurriz Hazi is a project that hopes to support reading and through reading spreading the Basque culture.  It is aimed at students in 1, 2, and 3^rd years in secondary school and is organized with the club’s library.  Herri Kirolak concentrates on rural Basque sports and is taught by the club’s PE teacher outside, Umeak Jolasean is also oriented to children in kindergarten with a recreational purpose.

Every year, these programs take place once a month and on that day the club provides breakfast and/or lunch and snack to the children according to the schedule in which they attend.