Diego Maradona’s humble birthplace in Buenos Aires has been turned into a soup kitchen, serving hundreds weekly as economic pressures persist despite falling poverty rates.

BUENOS AIRES: Hundreds of people now line up weekly at the humble birthplace of Argentine football legend Diego Maradona. The house in the Villa Fiorito neighbourhood has been lent by its current owner for use as a soup kitchen.

Volunteers light a grill and cook meals for neighbours in the dirt yard. Last Thursday, Maria Torres stirred stew in large pots while others peeled potatoes and chopped chicken.

A mural on the house’s facade depicts the footballer next to the words “The house of god”. The property was declared a national historic site in 2021 but no longer belongs to Maradona’s family.

Official statistics show poverty in Argentina dropped to 31.6% in the first half of 2025 from 52.9% a year earlier. This followed President Javier Milei sharply devaluing the peso, which initially spiked inflation.

Monthly inflation has since fallen substantially to 2.9% in February from double digits when Milei took office. Sociologist Eduardo Donza noted this “very important drop” in poverty.

Donza added that Argentina needs more GDP growth in labour-intensive sectors like mining. He contrasted this with capital-intensive sectors such as agriculture.

However, Milei’s austerity measures have sharply diminished the public sector workforce. Many say they have lost purchasing power due to cuts to transportation and energy subsidies.

Pastor Leonardo Fabian Alvarez runs the makeshift soup kitchen at Maradona’s former home. He said demand for food in Villa Fiorito and other neighbourhoods has grown as small factories have closed.

“People obviously lost their jobs,” Alvarez said. He added that “they come to the line, pick up food, take what we give them.”

Deregulation and a stronger peso have led to cheaper imports under Milei’s government. The figures for poverty in the second half of 2025 will be published on Tuesday.

 The Sun Malaysia