Santiago, Chile
Before COVID-19, I found myself traveling on a regular basis on behalf of Around the Worlds to cities and countries that need our help the most. As we begin to slowly add more domestic and international programs, I find myself reflecting on those trips from earlier this year.
In February, I traveled to Santiago, Chile, the capital of the country. The city is centrally located in the country. A short drive to the west takes you to the Pacific Ocean and to the east is the Andes Mountain Range, which provides a beautiful backdrop to this colorful, artistic city. This is my second trip to Santiago, but two years later, I find myself in awe of la belleza, a stunning modern city in the center of a mountainous landscape.
During my week-long trip, we partnered with Fundación Abrazame, an organization that assists children’s homes in the area. This foundation provides a variety of activities, trips and educational experiences to beneficiaries and children’s home residents. They look to expand their horizons through new opportunities, which fits nicely with our programming.
I worked with boys from Fundamor children’s home whose ages ranged from 10 to 15 years old. The program was located in a city park and the intimate group allowed for personalized training and increased engagement with the athletes. As I arrived, they were already smiling and excited, making me feel energized for the week ahead. While my home in the Northeast United States is frigid during February, Chile is the exact opposite. Temperatures were scorching, reaching upwards of 80°F to 90°F.
While running this program in a city park, I noticed a brother and sister duo fervently staring down our group. In their eyes, I could see they wanted to join in, but they were a little shy to do so. If I had to guess, they were about 7 or 8 years old and I was working with much older athletes. I invited them to join and they immediately sprung to their feet and started playing. The siblings were super excited to participate and they stayed in the park all day, asking me if they could come back the following morning. I hope I made their day just a little bit more fun! We were even able to give them each a soccer ball for playing with us, which is what our program is all about. I want to inspire kids around the world to pick up soccer or another recreational activity that lets kids be kids.
At the end of my time with the group, all of the participants received a soccer ball. After holding it in their hands for mere seconds, the markers came out. Santiago is a very artistic city, with murals and graffiti covering the city walls. It was incredible to watch the kids draw and color on the balls, making them their own. While they were decorating, we enjoyed some ice cream with the participants and children’s home volunteers to celebrate our accomplishments that week. As a parting gift, the athletes signed a jersey for me, but their artistic signatures, just like those they drew on their new soccer balls, made it incredibly unique. I treasure this gift as a reminder of my time with them.
After working with this organization, I returned to La Pintana, the barrio I visited in 2018 located on the opposite side of Santiago, where violence, drugs, and gangs are prevalent. This time, though, we were working with a new organization, 9 Marzo Club de Deportes. We were welcomed back to this area with open arms and a warm plate of food, something I was not expecting as an outsider. We took the extra resources we had and donated them to the organization, making sure they got extra soccer balls and t-shirts for their kids. That night, they were running a party for kids in the area to keep them out of violence, so our timing was perfect. Like this neighborhood party, it is my goal to keep kids out of violence and provide them an outlet to express themselves.
I experienced two different worlds in Chile, but through self-expression and connection via soccer, these areas can unite to play together, learn together and dream together.