As part of the divisional volunteer program, employees of the Sustainability and External Affairs Department of Codelco El Teniente Division delivered sports uniforms to the volleyball workshop of the Machalí Multipurpose High School. This action seeks to promote the sports development of young people, encouraging their participation in championships and promoting healthy habits.

Claudio Delon, director of the Machalí High School, said that “it is important to support them in this discipline that is part of the culture of Machalí and the O'Higgins Region. In the public system, resources are scarce and it was necessary to have clothing so that they could represent the high school as it should be.”

The volleyball workshop is one of the extracurricular options of the educational establishment, made up of 20 students from different courses. Until now, the students did not have uniforms to represent the institution in the various inter-school tournaments and championships, which limited their participation in competitions.

María Eugenia Covarrubias Sarabia, head of the extracurricular area at the Machalí high school, explained that “we seek to promote sports activities for children because we encourage unity, school coexistence and health. We believe that sport is positive. We are happy about their support because the children played in their own outfits.”

Promote sports development

The delivery is part of the Volunteering 2024 program, which seeks to generate social value in the communities and territories close to the operations of the El Teniente Division. During this year, around twenty activities have been carried out that have brought together more than 1,500 volunteers from various administrative and operational areas.

Carlos Vásquez, Community Development Supervisor, said that “this initiative is aligned with our divisional purpose. To this end, we have strengthened a program with a permanent focus and long-term planning. On this occasion, the delivery of clothing to students of the Polyvalent High School of Machalí not only reinforces the commitment to education, but also supports the sporting development of young people.”

In recent times, the copper company has developed a commitment to the Machalí Multipurpose High School through various collaborations such as visits to its industrial and heritage facilities, the offer of student internships and the mentoring program for women.

Catherine Herrera, a high school student, said that “this is very important because we didn’t have uniforms for the games. In the community competitions, we didn’t have shirts that represented us as a high school. Now we will have equipment for the games.”

Genesis Cabellos, a second year A student, said that “it was difficult to get the uniforms. It was difficult for us because we weren't very presentable at the games. So, we always saw that other people were very prepared. We looked very disorganized at the competitions. We are very excited about the arrival of the uniforms.”