Chile

World Vision is committed to partnering with the people of Chile to improve their lives today and to help enact sustainable solutions for the future of their children, families, and communities. World Vision’s child sponsorship program plays a vital role in this partnership, with donors from the United States sponsoring more than 8,000 girls and boys. In addition to sponsorship, World Vision operates other programs that benefit communities in Chile. These efforts include:

• Creating healthy and safe schools by reducing bullying and promoting effective tactics for conflict resolution.
• Increasing children's preparation for school by enabling children to participate in early stimulation programs with their parents and caregivers.
• Assisting Chileans affected by the 2010 earthquake and tsunamis with emergency supplies like food, water, and high-quality temporary shelters, and helping them rebuild their communities.

World Vision started operating in Chile in 1980 but had child sponsorship program years earlier within the country in 1961. Since then, some of World Vision’s major accomplishments include:

• Providing indigenous groups in southern Chile (particularly the Mapuche people) with agricultural training, land restoration, income generation, and sanitation since the 1970s.
• Offering vocational training to families of sponsored children, increasing their incomes and enabling them to become self-sufficient during the 1980s.
• Assisting Chileans affected by natural disasters such as heavy floods, snowstorms, volcano eruptions, and earthquakes since 1980, providing them with blankets, water, food, shelter, seeds, and other tools to rebuild their lives.
• Focusing on women’s education, child healthcare, vocational training, and economic development since 2005.

Geography and people

A thin ribbon of land, Chile extends nearly 2,900 miles along South America’s west coast and borders Peru, Bolivia, and Argentina. Its southernmost territory ends where the Atlantic and Pacific meet.

Variety defines Chile’s climate and terrain, which include deserts in the north, mountains in the east, and glaciers and fjords in the south. A fertile valley runs in the center of the country. Natural resources include copper, iron ore, precious metals, timber, and hydropower.

Over 80 percent of Chile’s population lives in urban areas, with more than a third living in the capital, Santiago. Most Chileans are either of European descent or a mix of Amerindian and European ancestry. Most speak Spanish, the official language, with the exception of some indigenous groups who have retained their own languages.

Single mothers head almost one-fourth of Chile’s families and face great difficulty in providing for their children. They often work as fruit pickers, maids, or artisans and earn meager wages.

History

Chile was originally inhabited by both the Incas in the north and the nomadic Mapuches in the south. During the 1500s, the Spanish and other Europeans began settling throughout the country.

Chile won its independence in 1818 after Spanish forces were defeated by Bernardo O’Higgins and José de San Martin. O’Higgins ruled as dictator until 1823 when he was forced to resign. Democratic government elections continued until the 1970s.

The 1970s and '80s were a period of instability, with a failed attempt at democracy, a struggling economy, and a violent dictatorship. Since Chile’s government returned to democracy in 1990, the country has improved its status as a stable, democratic nation.

In February 2010, an 8.8 earthquake and several large tsunamis rocked central and southern Chile, killing hundreds of people and affecting thousands more.

Please pray for:

Quality education to be accessible and affordable for all Chileans.

The protection and care of vulnerable children.