Buenos Aires - Half-an-hour's train ride from Buenos Aires lies the suburb of Jose Leon Suarez, with its dirt streets and homes made of wooden planks and scraps of metal.

The path passes by a river containing more rubbish than water. Here and there, the garbage piles up and the stench of burning plastic pollutes the air.

This path leads to the Vicente Catalano Centre for mothers and families.

Gottfried Stein, a correspondent for Germany's ARD radio based in South America, and his wife, Renate, opened the facility in 2007. They obtained funds from the Stuttgart-based International Network of Centres for Mothers and Families, in whose executive committee Renate sits.

Years before she and her husband came to live in Argentina, Renate became familiar with the system, which supports a total of 750 centres for mothers in 15 countries.

The network encourages co-operation among centres and facilitates contact with other organizations dedicated to improving the quality of life of mothers, families and communities.

Childrearing and job training are some of the activities that the woman in Suarez can find help with at the centre.

"Here I have finally discovered that I am not alone with my problems," says Betty, who meets with other members of the organization every Friday.

"We had to work for over half-a-year to earn people's trust," Renate Stein admits about the centre's beginnings.

A small hairdresser's salon has been set up in a corner of the centre's biggest room, with no heating on a very cold night.

Sonia, who leads the business along with two other hairdressers from the neighbourhood, used to work for 15 hours a day in the city for a pittance. Her new job allows her to remain in the suburb and to be close to her three small children. With great pride, she shows off the salon's newly-acquired appliances.

"For many women, taking the initiative is something quite new," explains Renate Stein, referring in particular to the possibility for women to build their own space.

Children, fathers and mothers have helped set up the centre, as Margarita points to a board full of photographs.

As a mother-of-seven, Margarita lives with her family in a small shack complete with leaking roof. To secure better protection from the rain and the cold, she used a micro-credit from the centre, which she is paying back by babysitting. She gets paid 4 pesos (some 1.20 dollars) per hour, and after 15 months she will have paid off the loan.

At the beginning of the weekly meeting, participants talk about their experiences during the past seven days. Sonia has had a tough week: her brother shot himself in the hand as he was playing around with a weapon.

"He is 24, he should slowly get more reasonable," she says.

The family has already had to buy the young man's way out of prison several times, with the parents devoting their scarce savings fully to the task.

Social problems do not stop at the door of the Vicente Catalano Centre. In the daycare programme, Brian, 8, disturbs the peaceful atmosphere and threatens other children.

The boy's angry mother, who at times shows up at the centre to insult anyone present, explains Brian's behaviour. His parents do not know anything other than the language of the street and use violence to enforce their will. Drugs and anarchy rule although Brian needs confidence and discipline.

Despair is still apparent in the mothers' centre, and time will be needed to achieve results for all. However, these women have launched the battle against their misery.

"It is great to see how much strength they put in it," Renate Stein says.

In order to improve life in Suarez, they will continue to seek others in their neighbourhood whose families can share in the centre's progress. (dpa)