Education
Rural Schools — Presente
Building a residential college in Villa Atamisqui, Santiago del Estero, so remote students can pursue tertiary education. Also funding safe water purifiers for the region.
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Since 2001 · Gold Coast, Australia
A worldwide Tango
A worldwide Tango
embrace for the children
of Latin America
Milonga Para Los Niños unites the global Tango community through annual dance events that fund education, shelter, and essentials for disadvantaged children in Argentina and beyond.
$153k+
Raised for children
23+
Years of impact
10+
Partner projects
8+
Countries reached
Our story
Born from gratitude,
Born from gratitude,
sustained by dance
In 2001, a group of Tango friends in Brisbane agreed to give something back to Argentina — the nation that gave the world Tango — by supporting its children after the peso crisis.
The first milonga was held at the Queensland Irish Club in November 2002, and Sociedad Para Los Niños Inc. was formally incorporated in Queensland in 2003. Since then, annual dance events have been held in Brisbane, Sydney, Adelaide, Perth, Auckland, Germany, and Buenos Aires — with every dollar going directly to the children.
"Changing perspectives — changing lives."
Our model is simple: event organisers may cover direct expenses, but never charge for their time. We keep our overheads to a minimum so the maximum flows to those who need it most.
Read the full story
The full story
Twenty-five years of
Twenty-five years of
dancing for a reason
What began as a small idea among friends in Brisbane has grown into a global network of communities, all moved by the same simple belief — that the joy of dance can change a child's life.
2001 — The Idea
A debt of gratitude
A group of Tango friends in Brisbane gathered, as they often did, to dance. But that year their conversation turned to Argentina — the country that had given the world Tango — and the hardship its people were facing after the peso crisis. They resolved to give something back.
November 2002 — The First Milonga
Queensland Irish Club, Brisbane
The very first fundraising milonga was held at the Queensland Irish Club. Local dancers, musicians, and friends came together for an evening of Tango — and the proceeds were sent directly to children's projects in Argentina. It proved the model could work.
2003 — Becoming Official
Sociedad Para Los Niños Inc.
To ensure transparency, accountability, and compliance with Australian regulations for public fundraising, the organisation was formally incorporated in Queensland as Sociedad Para Los Niños Inc. — "Society for the Children." Every structure since has been built around one rule: minimise overheads, maximise impact.
2004 – 2012 — The Embrace Spreads
From one city to a national network
Word travelled the way Tango does — through community. Annual milongas began appearing in Sydney, Adelaide, Perth, and the Sunshine Coast, each run by local organisers who covered their own costs so that ticket proceeds could go untouched to the children.
2013 – Today — A Global Community
Auckland, Germany, and Buenos Aires
The movement crossed oceans. Tango communities in Auckland (New Zealand) and Kassel (Germany) adopted Milonga Para Los Niños as part of their annual calendars. In Buenos Aires itself, partner milongas — Solidaria and Alitio Veron — now raise funds locally, closing the circle between donor and recipient communities.
2026 — 25 Years and Counting
The 25 Milongas initiative
To mark a quarter-century of giving, we've set an ambitious new goal: 25 milongas contributing each year, in 25 different communities worldwide. More than $153,000 has been raised to date — and with your help, the next 25 years will reach even further.
Get involved
Three ways to join
Three ways to join
the embrace
You don't need to be a professional dancer or a major donor. A single event in your community can change a child's life.
Host a Milonga
Organise one annual tango or Latin dance event in your community and donate the proceeds. We'll support you with resources, guidance and the Milonga Para Los Niños name.
Apply TodayDonate Directly
Every dollar goes to the children. A one-time or recurring donation supports food, shelter, education, and healthcare for disadvantaged children in Argentina and Latin America.
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Become a Partner
Sponsor our events or advertise with us. Your brand's support helps us reach more communities, host more milongas, and change more lives. All partner contributions are publicly acknowledged.
Partner With Us
Where your money goes
Projects making
Projects making
a real difference
We work directly with trusted local organisations — no middlemen, no waste. Here are some of the lives we're helping to transform.
Shelter & Care
Hogar Los Horneros & SIAND
Renovating foster homes in Moreno, Buenos Aires, providing gas, bedding, kitchen equipment and school facilities for up to 15 children each — many removed from abusive environments.
Learn more
Early Childhood
Kindergarten, Salta
Constructing a 20m² kindergarten near the Bolivian border for 16 children whose classroom was split by a curtain — giving them a safe, dedicated learning space.
Learn more
A closer look
The stories behind
The stories behind
the statistics
Every project we support is identified through trusted local partners who know their communities best. Here's a deeper look at what your donation makes possible.
Education
Rural Schools — Presente, Villa Atamisqui
In the remote province of Santiago del Estero, many rural students finish secondary school with nowhere to continue their education — the nearest university towns are hours away, and boarding is unaffordable. Working with the grassroots organisation Presente and coordinator Lorena Gomez, we're helping build a residential college so these students can live on-site while studying.
Funds have also gone toward safe drinking water purifiers for the wider region — a small investment with an outsized effect on community health.
1
College Underway
100+
Students Reached
QLD
Partner: Presente
Shelter & Care
Hogar Los Horneros & SIAND, Moreno
Hogar Los Horneros and SIAND are residential foster homes on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, each caring for up to 15 children who have been removed from unsafe or abusive environments. These homes provide more than shelter — they provide stability, routine, and a chance at childhood.
Donations have funded essential gas connections for heating and cooking, new bedding for children who previously slept on the floor, kitchen equipment, and improvements to on-site school facilities so the children don't have to travel far to learn.
2
Homes Supported
30
Children Housed
AR
Partner: Jugar x Jugar Solidaria
Early Childhood
Kindergarten, Salta
In a small community near the Bolivian border in Salta province, 16 kindergarten-aged children were sharing a single classroom with older students — separated only by a curtain. Younger children need space to play, move, and learn at their own pace, and the curtain simply wasn't enough.
With local partners on the ground, we funded the construction of a dedicated 20m² kindergarten — giving these children, many for the first time, a classroom of their own.
20m²
New Classroom
16
Children Enrolled
Salta
Northern Argentina
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Our Vision
Dance is a uniquely human expression of joy
Tango is communication without words — it is an embrace. Milonga Para Los Niños reaches out to embrace the children of Argentina and Latin America, bringing hope and joy in return for their gift to the world of Tango and Latin music.
Our vision: a global community of annual milongas that improves the lives of children in Latin America — one dance at a time.
Our Values
Maximum to the children, minimum in waste
- ✦ Aid is directed directly to people and organisations who add value — no bureaucratic waste.
- ✦ Organisers may cover direct expenses but must not charge for their time or services.
- ✦ We prefer suppliers who donate or discount their services in support of our mission.
- ✦ Incorporated in Queensland, 2003 — compliant with Australian Government controls for public funding.
"Now the people will know we were here."— The Inukshuk, symbol of Sociedad Para Los Niños. Selfless sharing and caring for those you may never know.
Events
Milongas happening
Milongas happening
around the world
Annual tango events have taken place in Brisbane, Sydney, Adelaide, Perth, Auckland, Germany, and Buenos Aires. New milongas are forming in cities worldwide. Is yours next?
We are currently inviting communities to join our 25 Milongas initiative — an ambitious global campaign to expand our reach and double the funds we raise for children in need.
Regular contributing events
- 🇦🇺 Pure Milonguero, Brisbane & Gold Coast Regular standing donations from Brisbane and Gold Coast milongas
- 🇦🇺 Sunshine Coast Tango & Judy's Practica Annual fundraising events in Queensland
- 🇩🇪 Kassel, Germany International milonga partner — Claudia Tiemann
- 🇦🇷 Buenos Aires, Argentina Solidaria Milongas & Alitio Veron milongas
Every dollar goes to the children
All donations are made through the trusted, verified Australian Give Now. We take no salaries or administration fees.
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Contact us
Let's dance together
Whether you want to host a milonga, become a partner, or simply find out more, we'd love to hear from you. Every new community that joins the embrace brings hope to more children.
Read more at our legacy website www.paralosninos.net
📍
Sociedad Para Los Niños Inc.
37/2 Ridgeline Way, Highland Park
Gold Coast, QLD 4211, Australia
37/2 Ridgeline Way, Highland Park
Gold Coast, QLD 4211, Australia
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Committee
- President
- John Lowry
We work with:
Presente Escuelas Rurales (Lorena Gomez) · Jugar x Jugar Solidaria, Buenos Aires · Claudia Tiemann, Kassel Germany