On Wednesday, September 30, around 50 people, including mothers, children, and volunteers from CONIN Areco, spent a different kind of afternoon at Laberinto Pampa. They went to experience Planeta Bambú, an experience designed for the youngest ones to explore nature through play, and for their families to share that discovery with them.

What is CONIN

CONIN is a foundation that works to prevent and reverse child malnutrition. It was founded in Mendoza by Dr. Abel Albino and today operates across the country through centers that apply its methodology: supporting each child, together with their mother, during the first years of life.

In San Antonio de Areco, the center operates in the Barrio Municipal, within the Centro Padre Antonio Stakelum. In 2013, it signed its franchise agreement with CONIN Mendoza and became the country's Child Malnutrition Prevention and Human Development Center No. 51. Every week, mothers and their children take part in sessions with nutritionists, pediatricians, social workers, occupational therapists, speech therapists, and early stimulation teachers.

We thank the leadership of CONIN Areco for opening their doors to us: its coordinators, Francisca Maino, who organized the visit with great dedication, and Sofía Bergadá; and Inés Pigretti and Dolores Zerboni, from the committee.

The Laberinto Pampa Experience

Laberinto Pampa is a living bamboo maze, with more than 4,000 plants of over ten species, located within Estancia La Cinacina, just a few blocks from Areco's historic center. It was created by artist and landscape designer May Borovinsky, and its layout is inspired by Argentine criollo silverwork: among its shapes are a rhea feather and a pansy flower.

More than just an outing, it is a space to reconnect with nature. Bamboo helps restore the soil, and this care for the planet is at the heart of the project. That is why the maze also opens its doors to schools and institutions, offering educational experiences for all ages.

Planeta Bambú, the experience CONIN Areco chose, invites the youngest ones to discover bamboo with all their senses: touching the canes, listening to the wind through the leaves, walking the paths, and finding the way out together as a family.

Thanks to Those Who Made It Possible

The day had begun that morning at La Olla de Cobre, the chocolate shop that Carlos and Teresa Gabba founded in 1978 in the garage of their home, right in the center of Areco. Their handmade alfajores became a symbol of the town, and in 2025 the food guide TasteAtlas named them the best in the world.

Its owners welcomed us with tremendous warmth and also donated the alfajores we shared during the visit. Thank you for opening your doors to us and for a gesture that made the day even more special.

None of this would have been possible without the volunteers of CONIN Areco. Week after week, they sustain the center's work with consistency, care, and commitment, and that bond was evident in every moment of the visit. To those who joined us, and to everyone who makes CONIN possible every day: thank you.

We'll treasure the children's laughter among the bamboo canes and the joy of the mothers sharing the afternoon.

At La Promesa Argentina, we believe that caring for the land begins with getting to know it. That is why we want to keep planting opportunities for more people to access spaces like this one, where nature is discovered and shared. Because caring for our land is something we do together.