The campaign aims to contribute to the recovery of the National University of the South after the damage caused by the March 7 flood in Bahía Blanca.

Donation campaign to help the National University of the South
UNS Communications Directorate
March 17th, 2025

A nationwide campaign seeks to support the National University of the South (UNS), which suffered millions in losses due to the flooding that hit Bahía Blanca on March 7. Donations can be made through the website. https://reconstruir.uns.edu.ar/

For the UNS, the March 7 storm resulted in the loss of 70 books, 9920 square meters of unusable laboratories, classrooms, and classrooms, and expensive equipment and teaching spaces under water. To channel the interest of institutions, organizations, and individuals in collaborating, the aforementioned website was launched to receive contributions.

According to preliminary estimates, UNS's losses due to the flooding could exceed 7 billion pesos, considering the tremendous damage to infrastructure, equipment, and bibliography. Top-level equipment and some 70 books were submerged, and nearly 10.000 square meters of office space and laboratories are unusable.

“In recent days, as images began to go viral, we began receiving messages from graduates and companies operating in the country and abroad, as well as international organizations seeking to make donations. We understand that for now, the most important thing is the recovery of those families who lost everything, but we must also keep in mind that the UNS is a public university, a heritage of all society, and our work and duty is to preserve it and restore it to continue providing quality education,” explained university officials.

The basements of the oldest building at the UNS suffered incalculable damage to infrastructure and equipment, especially in some areas such as the Central Library, where thousands of books, 60% of the total, were submerged. It housed unique collections such as the volumes of the Library Documentation Center created by the library's first director, Nicolás Matijevic, the postgraduate thesis repository, and the complete collection of works by Saint Thomas Aquinas. In areas where the waters exceeded two meters in height, all types of equipment were lost, both for undergraduate and graduate teaching and for research.

Those interested in making contributions can do so through https://reconstruir.uns.edu.ar/ where different donation options appear.