Fundación Miradas Compartidas and SQM commemorate World Down Syndrome Day in Antofagasta

World Down Syndrome Day is an important day for Fundación Miradas Compartidas, an organization that has been striving for the past 11 years to provide opportunities for social and employment inclusion to persons with intellectual disabilities through artistic, sports and training programs, seeking to transform our society into a more diverse and inclusive one.

This year, 2022, the celebration was held at the Ruinas de Huanchaca auditorium and included a screening of the inclusive musical “Súper Down,” featuring actors with and without disabilities.  The show portrays the struggle of a superhero to save the planet from plastic and other forms of pollution.

Participants in the sports and artistic workshops offered by Miradas Compartidas in the northern zone attended the event, along with municipal authorities and representatives of SQM and the foundation.

During the World Down Syndrome Day commemoration, SQM renewed its collaboration agreement with Miradas Compartidas to strengthen its work of integration and inclusion through soccer schools and artistic activities. The company also announced the launch of the Vértebra program, which prepares persons with any kind of disability for the workforce and connects them with employers.  The partnership’s medium-term plans include launching the Recrea program, focused on creating recreational spaces for individuals with intellectual disabilities.

SQM is a great ally of the foundation in northern Chile, and has implemented joint projects to foster inclusion in communities of that region. This partnership has been enabled by the support and backing of the Municipality of Antofagasta, which provides facilities for these activities and is an active participant in the projects we implement, including the sports schools and the Recrea and Vértebra programs.

“We are very happy to have achieved yet another goal in our ongoing mission to promote sports, a healthy lifestyle and inclusion.  There are several important elements working together here in our agreement with Miradas Compartidas, which has the support of the Municipality of Antofagasta, both in the recreational sphere and in inclusive employment,” commented Pablo Pisani, Director of Iodine Nitrate Communities and Public Affairs for SQM.

For his part, Antofagasta Mayor Jonathan Velasquez highlighted the company’s commitment, adding: “SQM’s support and sponsorship is very important for these kinds of social projects, so I am thankful for this partnership that directly benefits the families of the region.”

This partnership of four years and counting has included sports, artistic, educational and technical training programs in Antofagasta, and now extends to the districts of Tocopilla and María Elena. Alto Auspicio was added following the partnership’s positive results in the Tarapacá Region, specifically in Pozo Almonte and Huara.

“We are focusing our commitment on working actively on our current two programs: Recrea and Vértebra, which for the second year in a row we are holding in Antofagasta, Tocopilla and María Elena,” explained María Paz Vergara, Director of Miradas Compartidas Antofagasta, during the signing of the agreement.

For Albero Villa, the parent of a program participant, these kinds of initiatives are very important for the development of girls and boys with a disability.  “It’s fantastic that Antofagasta’s leading industries and businesses are supporting people with disabilities; we know we are all different, but these people are even more special, and so this support is crucial and we appreciate it enormously.”