GIRLS AT THE MARÍA AYUDA RESIDENCE IN IQUIQUE ENJOY REMODELED FACILITIES

• The home’s new management capabilities and quality infrastructure position it as a comprehensive facility and the most important residence in the Tarapacá Region.

The expansion and improvements at the Nuestra Señora de la Esperanza Home in Iquique were inaugurated today with great fanfare. The residence belongs to the María Ayuda Foundation and is supervised by the National Service for Minors (SENAME), which seeks to improve the quality of life of the girls currently living in the home, which can house up to 29 residents.

The ceremony was led by the Director of Communications, Sustainability and Public Affairs at SQM, Pablo Pisani; the Executive Director of María Ayuda, Ignacio Concha; the Interim Regional Ministerial Secretary for the Justice Ministry, María Teresa Osorio; the director of the Nuestra Señora de la Esperanza Home, Paola Arias; Sergio García in representation of the Municipality of Iquique, and other special guests from participating institutions. Everyone in attendance praised the works and concluded that they had improved the home’s standard a management and infrastructure quality perspective, making it the best facility of its kind in the region.

The work was financed by SQM through the Together for Childhood Program organized by the CPC. It was part of ongoing efforts carried out by the mining company since 2019 through its corporate volunteer program and annual funding that has allowed for improvements to the residence’s infrastructure to be planned and built, creating new spaces such as treatment rooms, multi-use spaces, a teaching kitchen, study rooms and game areas.

According to the SQM executive, Pablo Pisani: “This project is a shared dream that has come true today. It has two important components. First, the repairs to the home and, second, a volunteer program that we have developed here to make tangible contributions from the perspective of our employees. This is also an objective of our Sustainability Plan, to be closer to our neighbors, share situations that are sometimes difficult and incorporate our workers in this vision. I would like to congratulate the entire team behind this great project.”

Regarding the works and the impact they have on the girls at the home, the director of the residence, Paola Arias, said: “This dream began four years ago and today it has become reality. The day-to-day impact on our girls and the quality of our care is huge. Among the works, it was very important to move a second-floor kitchen to the first floor and also to build a multi-purpose field, a study room, a small chapel and many other improvements, which have made us very happy. This is a big step and I am grateful to everyone that accompanied us to fulfill this dream.”

After the formal ceremony and traditional ribbon cutting, the guests toured the new facilities along with representatives from the María Ayuda Foundation. At the event, Executive Director Ignacio Concha, added: “We are very pleased with these efforts and the work done with SQM. They made themselves available for the needs of the girls at the home and ultimately created an appropriate space for them to recover.”
Finally, María Teresa Osorio, Interim Regional Ministerial Secretary for the Justice and Human Rights Ministry, expressed her appreciation of the private-sector efforts on this project, which “significantly improved the living conditions for the girls who live here.”
The girls residing at the home also celebrated this milestone together with SQM representatives in a recreational space open to dialog where they will further strengthen the bonds forged through SQM’s corporate volunteer program, “Lend a Hand to Your Community.”