Community Services

FOUNDATION ACTIVITIES
HELP FOR THE ANDES YEAR 2001

erein is contained the Annual Repor for the year 2001, which details the activities of our Foundation & the work it carries out, which is geared toward attempting to improve the quality of life of other human beings. We also wish to state that since the Decree issued in September 2001 by which the Foundation was granted legal status as a non-profit private law organization, it pursues its unwavering purpose of managing & carrying out philanthropic activities in direct contact with those who suffer & those who are able to give them the care they need. In accordance with its objectives & goals, the foundation acts as liaison between those who are in a position to give & those who, due to the needy situation they are in, are recipients of said help.

It is worthy to note, & for that reason in the list offered herein it is mentioned that at the time the Foundation was just taking shape, we promoted Dr. Patch Adams’s visit to Chile by arranging & securing the contribution of the Marriot Hotel for his stay in our country. This made it possible to promote his new method of using humor to help the sick, thereby establishing that love, joy, smiles & acts of kindness are useful for alleviating the suffering of the sick & their families.
In time, the Foundation joined efforts with a group of volunteers comprised mainly by university students, whom, amongst other successful activities, participated in various events in the different districts of Santiago within the framework of a project created by our Foundation called “Make Them Smile.” Through this project, we hope to maintain our presence for many years, as judging from what we have accomplished in 2001, we can see that it is useful to the community, since it was conducted successfully in several districts of Santiago, amongst them, Estación Central, where, together with the “Sisters of Charity”, we offered entertainment, games & Christmas carols for more than 300 children & their families; we also put on a clown show & a Christmas Choir & distributed gifts at the Educational & Development Community Center “El Trampolín,” from the town of Villa San Luis, District of Maipú.
Another of the events, similar in nature, took place at the “Santa Clara Home,” which houses more than 80 elderly ladies from the District of Independencia.
Patch & the young people of the Foundation—the colorful clowns of the “Make Them Smile” project—were in charge of greeting the attendees to the conference that took place at the Extension Center of the Catholic University, a hall filled with more than 1,200 students.
On August 3rd, the “Make Them Smile” project organized & conducted a joyful & entertaining event for Children’s Day for young cancer patients at the Clínica Alemana.
The Foundation also cooperated with a “Spaghetti” meal in benefit of the “Santa Verónica” Home of the District of Independencia, which was sponsored by Carozzi, a local noodle manufacturing company. Several singers & artists participated, among them, some of the more renowned local singers, such as Douglas & the folklore group “Grillitos,” & the event was hosted by Denise Campos y José Luis Briceño .
On Independence Day, at the Ciudad del Niño, an event was programmed for more than 300 children, in which the volunteers of the Foundation participated with their skits, games & entertainment. The contribution of the child folklore group “Grillitos de Granero” was secured by the Foundation.
Special mention should be made to an event that was organized at the “Borde de Río” facilities in the District of Vitacura, in benefit of a three-year-old boy by the name of Nicolás Castro, who suffers from a severe heart disease. The event was called “Bread, Champagne & Chocolate” & it brought joy & relief to the little boy & the attendees. It ended with a musical show by the clowns of our Project.
However, in 2001 the Foundation also carried out other activities that are deemed most useful when it comes to helping others. We know we would not be able to accomplish much—if anything at all—without the help of the business community, with whom it is crucial to establish bonds in order to obtain the necessary support to fulfill our altruistic principles. It is noteworthy to mention that we already have the generous support of a local businessman & his wife, who throughout 2001, donated us 6,000 kilos of fish brought from the south of Chile, which we have distributed among the following centers: El Trampolín; Hogar Santa Verónica; Hogar Santa Clara; Fundación Niño y Patria, from Carabineros; Hogar Sagrado Corazón; the Chilean Red Cross; Group of People infected with HIV-AIDS; Centro Abierto Doctora Eloísa Díaz; Metodista y Pentecostés Church; the Catholic Church & other communities of Christian missionaries. All of these institutions receive this support in kind as contribution towards the nutritional needs of the children, the sick & the elderly they attend.
In a different area, it should be mentioned in this Annual Report that even at the time the Foundation was submitting its application for legal status, it had already initiated the important project of requesting help for acquiring the specialized & costly equipment needed for the Intensive Care Unit of the Cardiology Ward of Roberto del Río Hospital, a local public medical facility. Towards the end of 2001, contacts established with Hospital authorities & discussions held with the object of securing said help have brought us closer to the crystallization of this project in benefit of the Hospital & the community it attends.
It is also expedient to mention the Foundation’s accomplishments regarding the creation & development of Workshop Programs, such as the one conducted at the “Niño y Patria” Foundation, pertaining to “Carabineros de Chile”, where we carried out psychodrama workshops majoring in the areas of self-esteem, self-awareness & interpersonal relationships, as well as laughter-therapy. These workshops promoted the discovery & development of laughter & good humor as a source of love & hope.
We also participated in an interactive teenager workshop called “I can,” with the attendance of 12 youngsters ages 13 to 16, which was conducted by María del Carmen Formoso Zaballa, psychologist graduated at the Uruguayan Catholic University, & Carlos Tapia, Drama Teacher. The workshop took place between August 29th & December 17th, with a total of 15 weekly sessions held on Wednesdays from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm. The general goal was to promote behavioral risk-prevention among teenagers.
The content & methodology of the workshop was geared toward promoting self-awareness, increasing self-esteem, developing social skills & looking for alternative ways to resolve conflict without violence. The workshops utilized drama techniques & a psychoanalitical reference scheme. Upon finalization of the workshop, the following conclusions were drawn: The group of teenagers in question did not exhibit any severe personality disorders; self-esteem, assertiveness & relationships amongst the members of the group improved; the atmosphere within the “Carabineros” boarding school provided positive influence, as the youngsters there have their needs for affection, a sense of belonging & security met, which is crucial at this stage of their growth.
It is also worthy of mention that in the case of the Uruguay Home of Ciudad del Niño & in the workshops with the mothers of the children lodged at Centro de la Corporación de Educación y Desarrollo Popular El Trampolín, a group of volunteers of the Foundation comprised by students of Central University & Los Andes University fostered good communication, affectionate interrelationships, dialogue & problem-solving skills. The people were encouraged to take on a more positive approach in the face of their personal situation, which is marked by extreme poverty, drug-addiction & crime. Values were promoted that encourage people to abide by the law. Wrong attitudes were detected & ways were sought to overcome them. The same type of tasks were undertaken by the Foundation at the Mother’s Day celebration at the same Center El Trampolín, with two international artists as hosts. Additionally, food & flowers were donated to the mothers. Also, a donation of a printing job for 300 books & 2,500 Christmas cards was requested & secured.
Finally, I should add that the Foundation organized two outings—one to a luncheon & cinema, & the other to a swimming pool & soccer game—for 20 children of the “Sagrado Corazón” Orphanage of the District of Lo Barnechea. Toys were distributed among them as well. The Foundation also had the chance of cooperating with an important sport event called “Fútbol 7–Campeones por los Niños” at the National Stadium, which was organized by UNICEF & the Olive Foundation in benefit of the children of Afghanistan. Help For The Andes Foundation coordinated & organized a show in which 60 children of the different centers participated with a choreography that presented a message of peace & love.
Thanks to contributions by private citizens, in December 2001, printing was requested & secured for 2,500 greeting cards for Ciudad del Niño, Hogar de Uruguay, which were created & designed by the children themselves with the help of Mirian Vargas, one of the volunteers that offered her services for that workshop.
Dear contributors, the summary of activities described in this report serves the purpose of increasing our hopes & the scope of the work we will undertake as of 2002, at which time we will have laid a firmer groundwork that will enable us to carry out all the initiatives that are in line with the statement of purpose of Help For The Andes Foundation.
In the hopes of bearing the fruit we all expect to bear, we welcome your contribution to a task that will fill the members of our Foundation & the volunteers that help us accomplish the goals laid out in our Charter with pride & satisfaction.