Fundación Servir: 3 Expats Give Back in Mendoza

Michelle Schromm, a Missouri native turned Mendocinian, is one of the 3 expat women behind Fundación Servir, an organization dedicated to serving local communities in Mendoza’s wine regions.

I sat down with Michelle to learn more about what how Fundación Servir began, where its headed, and what it’s really like to navigate an NGO in Argentina. Here is what she had to say:
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What’s the story behind how you started the foundation?  What need did you see?

I had the opportunity to work at an NGO in Brazil in 2011 for a couple months, an experience that taught me how to start and run a service-oriented organization in Mendoza. Given my work at Pulenta Estate, I have daily contact with adults living in Ugarteche and I knew it was a high-need area. One memory in particular stands out to me.  A girl, in charge of cleaning wine glasses at the winery, struck me as having the capacity to learn and do so much more.  And she wanted to, but the nearest classes were over an hour away by bus, and would require her to take time off work (something that she financially could not afford to do). I asked her one day if she’d be interested in having classes in Ugarteche and her immediate excitement convinced me that this was the area that I could do something in.

Who are the staff involved in the foundation?  What are the primary activities that you organize?

Our primary activities are our weekly English and Computer Literacy courses. We also do one-day workshops on topics such as health/ nutrition, wine appreciation, etc.  Our staff is a mix of locals, foreigners traveling through or working for a period of time, and even foreigners that come specifically to work for the Foundation (through AIESEC). They are also involved in the behind the scenes tasks, like webpage management, fundraising, and event planning.  And at the head of planning and decision making are the three of us founders: myself, Amanda Barnes, and Myfanwy Turner.

(Left to right) Amanda Barnes and Michelle Schromm hosts guests at the first annual Fundación Servir benefit event in 2013.

What difference do you hope to make in the community?

I hope to empower the local families. Make them feel like they can… they can get a better job, they can finish high school, they can be what they want to be when they grow up, they can learn something new. I think education is the most important tool you can give someone for them to feel like they have control over their future. I don’t expect all of my students to leave being fluent in English or become computer geeks, but I do see how their confidence grows over the course of the classes. Their motivation to learn is inspiring to me as a teacher, and my hope is to fuel that, let it grow, and help them make better futures for themselves and their families.

Where would you like the foundation to be 5 years from now?

Hmm, how big can I dream here? My long-term goal is to have the foundation functioning in all the key viticulture areas in Mendoza, offering a diverse array of classes and workshops. If I am really dreaming, I’d love to even see international expansion to other wine regions in the world, where the lower-income rural families are often the force behind the wine being made, though they receive little reward for their hard labor.  

What have been some of the biggest hurtles you’ve come across?  How have you overcome them?

There have been endless hurdles followed by endless high points of satisfaction that I almost forget about what the hurdle was. The biggest challenge is to make sure we have a big enough volunteer staff for how quickly we grow, and to make sure no one gets burnt out in teaching. Also, a big dose of patience is always required when working with local government officials, who say “tomorrow” and really mean next month. They are small, though, in comparison to the satisfaction we receive from the students who really put all their heart and soul into learning.

How do most people react to the fact that you are 3 foreigners, living in AR, and giving back?

Most people are just genuinely grateful. So many friends, colleagues, wineries, and the Mendoza community in general have rallied behind us here in Mendoza in such an amazing way. Most are initially surprised that we’d want to dedicate our time and energy to helping these families, but then immediately want to know how they can help. It has been both humbling and motivating to have such a great support system while doing this project.

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