Thanks to donations from “WIGWAM Reisen (Germany)“ and the “Foundation Trekking Chile”, which is the Chilean partner of HOPE’87 and the UNESCO Foundation – Education for Children in Need, the project “Es mi casa” in San Francisco de Mostazal, which is situated 60 km south of Santiago de Chile, could be completed. Throughout the project, children with special needs were trained in handicrafts that can be useful if they want to set foot in the working world. Furthermore, the community of Mostazal finished its project aimed at the complete rebuilding of the school, so that the children can now be trained in the rebuilt and freshly renovated schoolhouse. The handicrafts produced by the children and teenagers are eventually sold to the clients of the WIGWAM travel agency, thus further benefiting them. The continuing contact between the Regional Coordinator of Latin America and the school up to this day ensures the sustainability of the project in the future.

Project Background: 

Chile is located in the southwest of South America, and is well known for its 4,000 km length and 200 km width. Even though Chile is among the most expanding Latin American countries, wealth and prosperity are only concentrated in the central region surrounding its capital Santiago, with a population of 6 million people, and the central valley. The sparsely populated North and the deep South of Chile rate among the poorest areas of the country. Moreover, the infrastructure remains underdeveloped in these regions. Thus, there is strong need for the support of children, young people and especially for disadvantaged and marginalised groups of the society.