Chile’s Thriving Social Impact Sector
Published 08/18/2023 in Scholar Travel Stipend
Written
by Sarah Deonarain |
08/18/2023
This summer I moved to Santiago, Chile to work with Fundación 99, a local non-profit that specializes in improving rural education, public infrastructure, and inequality through the economic empowerment of women and growth in employment opportunities generally in Chile.
It is incredible to think that just 2.5 months ago I graduated from Harvard University, having had barely one week between graduation and my 10-hour flight to Santiago. My senior year at Harvard was deeply enriching: under the mentorship and guidance of my professors, I developed my interests in migration literature and history, law, and development economics, producing a series of scholarly articles that explored fascinating topics like the socioeconomic impact of Lebanese migration to Mexico and Brazil or the migration of rural dwellers in northeastern Brazil to its southern cities (driven by climate change). Additionally, I worked as an assistant to the Chair of the Committee on Ethnicity, Migration, and Rights (a Secondary field) at Harvard to advocate for migration studies on campus and build community. Given these experiences, I was profoundly inspired to come to Santiago, Chile to gain firsthand experience in how non-profits in a developing country work towards addressing issues their countries face and deepen my understanding of the connection between economic development and migration. A key mission of the Milken Institute and the Milken Family Foundation is to advance the world’s progress on discovering the path (or paths) to meaningful life for those in developing countries and prepare the world for what’s coming next, and my summer in Chile, graciously supported by the Milken Institute and the Milken Family Foundation, helped me understand how Chile is striving to improve its economy, education, and infrastructure systems, while also managing increased migration flows as a country in the Global South that receives a large number of migrants from Venezuela, Colombia, and Haiti, and navigating heated and nuanced discussions about migrants and their effects on Chile (especially as the country rewrites its Constitution).
At Fundación 99, I worked in a team of 7-8 wonderful people, where I completed various projects. First, I utilized my skills in data to process raw data from their ongoing projects in rural schools. Notably, Fundación 99 works extensively in the south of Chile, where schools face a range of challenges, from the lack of teachers and resources (often, these schools have 1 teacher and 1 classroom for students ages 3-17) to curriculums that lack rigor and depth. Its projects aim to strength these curriculums, but also introduce novel ways of teaching, such as “learning in nature” for children under 5 years old in the forest-covered south of Chile, which takes place in green spaces, like farms, forests, and gardens and builds emotional, psychological, and interpersonal/social skills of these children while educating them about nature, science, and sustainability, as they, for example, care for plants in teams. I also conducted research on Chile’s professional-technical (or “vocational,” as we would say in the States) school system, which has been underperforming in securing high school youth both jobs/apprenticeships after graduation and access to higher education. Additionally, I led a workshop consisting of the directors and CEOs of more than 20 similar nonprofits in Chile, where we discussed current social issues Chile faces (such as education deficits, the impact of the pandemic, healthcare, homelessness, etc.), how these organizations were currently approaching these issues and what their strategies and missions/goals were, and how they could improve both their external and internal affairs to better address these issues. For example, they could increase team capacity, secure better sources of financing, and learn how to better hear and engage with the communities they are trying to support, such as disabled youth, single parent households, indigenous people, etc. It was a very inspiring and interesting workshop, consisting of 3 gatherings, where I participated in riveting discussions with people who now and in the past have significantly impacted Chile. I was able to network with the heads of these organizations, as well as watch them collaborate in these issue areas, providing a great foundation for someone interested in working in the non-profit sector in the future. Moreover, throughout my time at Fundación 99, I significantly improved in my ability to read, write, and speak Spanish, since the internship was entirely in Spanish, but Chilean Spanish remains difficult, as they utilize a lot of chilenismos, but I’m getting the hang of it!
However, a large part of my learning came outside of work. The David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies (DRCLAS) at Harvard, which organized my summer internship (as well as the internships of about 18 other students who came with me to Chile), had us students participate in several guest lectures and excursions around Santiago to learn more about the culture, politics, and people of Chile. From wandering around the beautiful streets of the city center to listening to top professors from prestigious Chilean universities to visiting the
It is incredible to think that just 2.5 months ago I graduated from Harvard University, having had barely one week between graduation and my 10-hour flight to Santiago. My senior year at Harvard was deeply enriching: under the mentorship and guidance of my professors, I developed my interests in migration literature and history, law, and development economics, producing a series of scholarly articles that explored fascinating topics like the socioeconomic impact of Lebanese migration to Mexico and Brazil or the migration of rural dwellers in northeastern Brazil to its southern cities (driven by climate change). Additionally, I worked as an assistant to the Chair of the Committee on Ethnicity, Migration, and Rights (a Secondary field) at Harvard to advocate for migration studies on campus and build community. Given these experiences, I was profoundly inspired to come to Santiago, Chile to gain firsthand experience in how non-profits in a developing country work towards addressing issues their countries face and deepen my understanding of the connection between economic development and migration. A key mission of the Milken Institute and the Milken Family Foundation is to advance the world’s progress on discovering the path (or paths) to meaningful life for those in developing countries and prepare the world for what’s coming next, and my summer in Chile, graciously supported by the Milken Institute and the Milken Family Foundation, helped me understand how Chile is striving to improve its economy, education, and infrastructure systems, while also managing increased migration flows as a country in the Global South that receives a large number of migrants from Venezuela, Colombia, and Haiti, and navigating heated and nuanced discussions about migrants and their effects on Chile (especially as the country rewrites its Constitution).
At Fundación 99, I worked in a team of 7-8 wonderful people, where I completed various projects. First, I utilized my skills in data to process raw data from their ongoing projects in rural schools. Notably, Fundación 99 works extensively in the south of Chile, where schools face a range of challenges, from the lack of teachers and resources (often, these schools have 1 teacher and 1 classroom for students ages 3-17) to curriculums that lack rigor and depth. Its projects aim to strength these curriculums, but also introduce novel ways of teaching, such as “learning in nature” for children under 5 years old in the forest-covered south of Chile, which takes place in green spaces, like farms, forests, and gardens and builds emotional, psychological, and interpersonal/social skills of these children while educating them about nature, science, and sustainability, as they, for example, care for plants in teams. I also conducted research on Chile’s professional-technical (or “vocational,” as we would say in the States) school system, which has been underperforming in securing high school youth both jobs/apprenticeships after graduation and access to higher education. Additionally, I led a workshop consisting of the directors and CEOs of more than 20 similar nonprofits in Chile, where we discussed current social issues Chile faces (such as education deficits, the impact of the pandemic, healthcare, homelessness, etc.), how these organizations were currently approaching these issues and what their strategies and missions/goals were, and how they could improve both their external and internal affairs to better address these issues. For example, they could increase team capacity, secure better sources of financing, and learn how to better hear and engage with the communities they are trying to support, such as disabled youth, single parent households, indigenous people, etc. It was a very inspiring and interesting workshop, consisting of 3 gatherings, where I participated in riveting discussions with people who now and in the past have significantly impacted Chile. I was able to network with the heads of these organizations, as well as watch them collaborate in these issue areas, providing a great foundation for someone interested in working in the non-profit sector in the future. Moreover, throughout my time at Fundación 99, I significantly improved in my ability to read, write, and speak Spanish, since the internship was entirely in Spanish, but Chilean Spanish remains difficult, as they utilize a lot of chilenismos, but I’m getting the hang of it!
However, a large part of my learning came outside of work. The David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies (DRCLAS) at Harvard, which organized my summer internship (as well as the internships of about 18 other students who came with me to Chile), had us students participate in several guest lectures and excursions around Santiago to learn more about the culture, politics, and people of Chile. From wandering around the beautiful streets of the city center to listening to top professors from prestigious Chilean universities to visiting the
immigrant barrio (“neighborhood”), these experiences also greatly shaped my outlook and understanding of Chile. In Patronato y La Vega, the immigrant barrio, I witnessed the subpar living conditions of immigrants in Chile, but also gained exposure to the melting pot of Latin American and Caribbean cultures right in the heart of Santiago. Through the guest lectures, I learned about different current viewpoints in Chile regarding the new Constitution and future government of the country, hearing the anxieties and concerns that many Chileans have about the rise of the extreme right. Even on drives from the western to the eastern side of the city, I can see the change in landscape, as the one-story houses turn into skyscrapers – urban inequality is heightened here in Santiago, with immense poverty in its western and southern regions.
Finally, through my own wanderings on la micro (the metro and bus system) and experiences living with a host family, I gained insight into Chile’s culture as well. Visiting La Chascona and Isla Negra, two of the three houses that belonged to Pablo Neruda, the poet-diplomat and one of two Nobel Prize winners from Chile, I learned about the art and rich literary and intellectual traditions of this country, even seeing the madness (yet beauty) of Neruda’s household extending into the household decor and mannerisms of the average Chilean. Between onces (traditional Chilean tea parties) filled with manjar (dulce de leche) and jams of Chilean fruits like nispero (loquat) and membrillo (a type of apple pear) and all of the wonderful nature of Chile (the Andes mountains to the east, the world’s driest deserts to the north, the rocky and extremely cold Pacific shores to the west, and the forests, snow, and penguins of Patagonia to the South/Antartica, and the Chilean palm trees that survive all four seasons), my time in Chile has been nothing short of adventurous and eye-opening. Thank you to the Milken Family Foundation and the Milken Institute for supporting my passions for international development and social impact.
