Many ethnic Lao organizations and Theravada Buddhist temples help to serve the community. In 2013, there were about 1,300 ethnic Laotians living in New Zealand, with about half of the population residing in Auckland. Most of the population consists of refugees who arrived in the country in the late 1970s and 1980s. Community associations based in Theravada Buddhist temples help to serve the social needs of the population. About 1,800 people of Laotian descent live in Argentina. Laotian refugees first arrived in the country after the Vietnam War in 1975 and settled in Buenos Aires as part of a United Nations sponsored program. The community initially struggled at first, although it gradually strengthened with the founding of a Theravada Buddhist temple (although some have converted to Roman Catholicism) and Laotian-owned businesses.