INTRODUCTION
In 1953, an American missionary named James Mundell arrived in Chol-Chol, an indigenous village isolated in the southern reaches of Chile. In Chol-Chol, which means "many trees" in the native tongue, the young priest encountered a world which had been forgotten by the current of modernity; a world without sufficient food, without passable roads, lacking medical facilities and secondary schools, a world immersed in poverty, marginalization, and an overwhelming lack of opportunities.
For the next forty years, "Don Jaime" as he was called by the native Mapuche, dedicated himself to reversing the dire poverty that paralyzed the adult population as much as it stifled its youth.
Initially as a priest and later as a philanthropist, he launched a campaign to "end world hunger", which, as he saw it, was a real and attainable goal, enlisting the help of everyone from local agricultural technicians to international funding agencies. The pearl of Jaime’s vision, however, was the belief that the only true feasible development is that which enables the individual to help himself.
The Chol-Chol Foundation, created by Don Jaime in 1971,
strives today to fulfill this vision of viable, sustainable self-development
throughout the entire ninth region of Chile. Working hand in hand with local
communities, drawing from a collective desire to ameliorate poverty, the
Foundation sets its sights on marching its vision forward into the twenty-first
century.
The Chol-Chol Foundation For Human Development
[email protected]
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