Women entrepreneurs from Tarapacá wrap up business academy

The women of Tarapacá who breathed life into the “Mujeres con Sentido Inclusivo” academy were very happy and pleased with the initiative promoted by Expo Inclusión and SQM to train women 55 years of age or older, caregivers of the elderly or people with disabilities, thus enabling them to get their businesses off the ground.

At the closing ceremony, which was attended by SQM executives, regional authorities, community leaders and representatives of Expo Inclusión, Pablo Pisani, Corporate Affairs Manager for SQM’s Nitrates Iodine Division, announced the creation of the Inclusive Women 2023 Fund, which will award 15 million pesos to 15 women from Tarapacá.

“Our goal is to create a second stage for this project, which has been highly valued and recognized by the beneficiaries. For this, we have set up a fund with 15 million pesos, so that they can convert or upgrade their equipment or diversify and grow their businesses. This fills us with joy and we hope to soon be delivering these resources in the Tarapacá region,” said the executive.

For her part, the regional director of the Chilean National Disability Service (SENADIS), María Paola Vial, highlighted this pioneering initiative in the region, adding, “It is wonderful. I am happy to meet these women linked to the issue of disability who promote work with others and care for others. Today it is very necessary to strengthen these development initiatives.”

This year, the academy impacted 56 women from all over Chile, 18 of whom participated in person in the municipalities of Iquique, Alto Hospicio, Huara and Pozo Almonte. The remaining 38 joined the online classes from their homes in Valdivia, Temuco, Viña del Mar, Arica, Santiago, Rancagua, among other cities.

In Tarapacá, 5 participants were also selected and received the prize of an all-expenses-paid trip to Santiago to take part in Expo Inclusión 2023, on October 4 and 5 at Estación Mapocho Cultural Center.

Bárbara Blümel, SQM’s Deputy Manager of Talent Attraction and Diversity, highlighted the commitment of the winners, noting that “the main idea of this award is for them to showcase their ventures in Santiago and have the experience of sharing with entrepreneurs from all over the country. As SQM, we recognize these women’s effort and passion, key factors in the development of the entrepreneurial ecosystem in northern Chile.

Inés Barañados, an entrepreneur from Iquique selected to attend Expo Inclusión, was grateful for the opportunity, noting: “I was tremendously excited to be selected and represent my city in Santiago. I design and make pet clothing, including items woven from alpaca, and I also recycle used clothing to generate new garments.”

Paola Ortega, director of Expo Inclusion, highlighted the importance of such training spaces where caregivers, people with disabilities and women entrepreneurs can generate resources and self-employment that provide motivation, technical tools and also

en ocibir un reconocimiento y presentar sus productos y servicios. autoempleo, entregando un sentido da modelo de stand  possibilities to go outside their region.

In this first stage of training, the beneficiaries were able to learn about four important topics: Starting a Business, Modeling My New Business, Finance for Entrepreneurs and Marketing and Digital Strategy.