Lakhasly

Twenty years ago, Aguaviva, a small village in the north of Spain, was dying.He wondered, "How can I bring this place back to life?" He knew the village needed people, but from where? Then he had a brilliant idea. He flew 6,300 miles to Buenos Aires and started telling everyone about Aguaviva. He spoke on the radio and put advertisements in newspapers. The ads said, "If you are married with two children under the age of 12, we'll offer you

a home, a job, free health care and education for at least five years."The people from Buenos Aires were used to a big city, so living in a small village with little public transportation was difficult at first.There was work for builders repairing the old houses, and a factory making electrical parts for cars opened.Young people wanted more opportunities, so they moved away to the cities.The economy began to improve, too.After moving to Spain, their future looked brighter.Aguaviva's future looked dark.But everybody had new opportunities, too.

Twenty years ago, Aguaviva, a small village
in the north of Spain, was dying. Young
people wanted more opportunities, so they
moved away to the cities. By 1991, there
were only 618 people left, and most of
them were old. Many of the houses were
empty and falling down, and the local
school had very few children. Aguaviva's
future looked dark.
In 2000, the mayor, Luis Bricio, decided something
had to change. He wondered, "How can I bring
this place back to life?" He knew the village
needed people, but from where? Then he had a
brilliant idea. He flew 6,300 miles to Buenos Aires
and started telling everyone about Aguaviva. He
spoke on the radio and put advertisements in
newspapers. The ads said, "If you are married with
two children under the age of 12, we'll
offer you

a home, a job, free health care and education for
at least five years." The following year, he did the
same thing in Romania.
Many families accepted the offer and Aguaviva
began to change. The village school went from
having 37 students to more than 80 in three years.
The sound of children shouting and playing has
made the local people feel so much younger. The
economy began to improve, too. There was work
for builders repairing the old houses, and a factory
making electrical parts for cars opened.
Of course, not everything was easy. The people
from Buenos Aires were used to a big city, so living
in a small village with little public transportation
was difficult at first. The Romanians had to learn
a new language. And they all missed their family
and friends back home. But everybody had new
opportunities, too. Before, many of the parents ha
worried about finding a job and having enough
money to look after their children. After moving
to Spain, their future looked brighter. Many of
them thought, "VWe're going to stay here for many
years - this place will be our home."