We vote too!
By Natalia Morata
Puerto Eden is an isolated village, without its own commune, but there are several organisations that are grouped in a Territorial Assembly in which they agree on public statements and collective actions to denounce the situation of neglect suffered by the locality and to ensure that the resources recently allocated by the Undersecretary of Development to make improvements in this backward area are not diverted to other projects that have nothing to do with the locality, as has already been attempted. But if there is one thing the community of Puerto Eden knows how to do, it is to fight to defend its rights and raise its voice, and its young inhabitants were not going to be any less!
By La Prensa Austral · Sunday 26th Septiembre 2021
"Urn of Wishes - Cerveljéke consultation
The first round of the presidential elections in Chile took place on 21 November. After a brainstorming session, inspired by one of the members of the Asociación Espeleológica de Patagonia, Wilfredo Sepúlveda, we decided to invite young citizens to express their wishes for Puerto Eden. "What would you like for Puerto Eden?"
Eleven children (residents and visitors) participated, who wrote or drew their wishes. The age range was from 4 to 14 years old.
The consultation was held in the public library, as the school was a polling station.
Photos: María Isabel Tonko, Romina Pizarro, María José González, Natalia Morata.
Reading of results. It is striking that they ask for 24h electricity or a playground. It turns out that in Puerto Eden the village generator works from 9:00 to 15:00 and from 17:00 to 00:00. The rest of the time, if the villagers do not have their own power generation system, they are left without electricity. On the other hand, there are no fenced playgrounds or enclosed communal meeting places in the village. All this, in Chile; in the year 2021.
Photos: Romina Pizarro
The results of the children's votes, as well as the appeal (plea) for help from the children for the waste management of Puerto Eden, will be sent to the elected officials to whom they appeal: the outgoing and incoming Presidents of Chile, the Governor of the Region of Magallanes and Chilean Antarctica, the Mayor of the Municipality of Puerto Natales. We will add the deputies and senators for the Region of Magallanes and Chilean Antarctica.
Conclusion: we continue!
We did not go to the Témpanos glacier, but our expedition has taken us much further. We have discovered and explored our environment, we have learned to work as a team, to overcome ourselves, to claim our rights. And we want to share our experience with more children.
We are now a demolition team. We have laid the foundations to continue growing as a community and to achieve what we set out to do. We will continue to work towards our goals: to go to the Témpanos glacier, to visit the Madre de Dios archipelago and to one day meet our partners in the northern hemisphere in person. We know that we are an ocean. We hope that more drops will join us, starting with our school and kindergarten classmates who were unable to participate on this occasion.
From the Asociación Espeleológica de Patagonia and Centre Terre we will continue to work side by side with the school Profesor Miguel Montecinos Contreras of Puerto Eden (CORMUNAT) and the alternative ethnic kindergarten La Centollita (Junji Magallanes) to establish the project "Cuerdas y Más" in the school programmes of both centres.
In times of change, when planning long-term activities becomes a real puzzle, learning to adapt to a changing environment, without giving up or losing sight of the goal, can be the key to success. Otherwise, we will succeed because, as the poet said, we do not know that it is impossible.
The activities have been organised jointly by the Miguel Montecinos school, the La Centollita kindergarten and the "Cuerdas y Más" team.
From 12 to 19 November, work was done on the programme of activities, which was presented and agreed with the children and their parents.
From 20 November to 4 December, all the planned activities were carried out, something that would not have been possible without the selfless collaboration of the entire educational community.
In March 2022, if we get the necessary support and the pandemic continues to give us a break, we will continue with our original project "Cuerdas y Más, getting to know the ice glaciers".
In the future, the "Cuerdas y Más" team will probably have new members. Our activities are voluntary and self-financed, so sometimes, work or family commitments are imposed.
Whether we have the same members or whether new energies join us, we are grateful to Leonardo Rivas for his enormous dedication and devotion. Without his help, this would not have been possible. To Felipe Viera, uncle Feli, I would like to thank him from the bottom of my heart for his support, his connection with the children and his eternal smile.
Acknowledgements
Our ocean is also made up of the companies and organisations that have supported us and, more specifically, the people behind them.
We list them here as a sign of our deepest gratitude. We look forward to their continued support for our expedition(s).
OUT! Chile (www.outchilestore.com): Petzl caving, ice and rescue equipment.
Petzl Francia (www.petzl.com): In fact, we thank you now for the future support we hope to count on in the future.
Natmor Chile (www.natmor.cl): contribution with MASCOT® WORKWEAR warm clothing for children.
MASCOT® WORKWEAR (www.mascot.cl): support to Natmor Chile with discount, distributor of the brand in Chile.
Pino Delion (www.pinodelion.cl): design and hosting of the website dedicated to the project "Cuerdas y Más 2021".
Start Fire (www.startfire.cl): contribution with a complete first aid kit for cold environments.
Grado Zero (www.gradozero.cl): loan of ice axes, crampons, trekking poles and helmets. Contribution of accessories.
Altura Store (www.alturastore.cl): logistical support with the shipment of part of the technical equipment between Santiago and Puerto Natales.
Transbordadora Austral Broom (www.tabsa.cl): release of tickets of the Cuerdas y Más team for the Natales-Edén-Natales route.
Empresa Portuaria Austral (www.epaustral.cl): permission to use the connectivity space (the ramp) at Puerto Eden for the activities.
Sky Airline (www.skyairline.com): release of tickets for one of the members of the Cuerdas y Más team.
CONAF Última Esperanza (www.conaf.cl): permission to use the nursery and the procurement and shipment of repair materials to Port Eden.
Seremi de Bienes Nacionales (www.bienesnacionales.cl): support with promotional material of the Madre de Dios archipelago and with the dissemination of the Cuerdas y Más project in the regional media.
Corporación Municipal de Natales (www.cormunat.cl): approval and sponsorship of the activities presented by Romina Pizarro, head of the Miguel Montecinos school, and teacher Denis Montecinos to carry out the project.
Junta Nacional de Jardines Infantiles Magallanes (www.junji.gob.cl/magallanes/): approval and sponsorship of the activities presented by Paola Cortés, responsible for the La Centollita kindergarten, and the professional María Isabel Tonko to carry out the project.
FullOutdoor (www.fulloutdoor.cl): dissemination and promotion of the Cuerdas y Más project.
Revista HD Sports (www.hdsports.cl): dissemination and promotion of the Cuerdas y Más project.
Outside Chile (www.outsidechile.cl): dissemination and promotion of the Cuerdas y Más project.
To all of you who have supported us with monetary contributions... Thanks a million!
Activity registered in the International Year of Caves and Karst: http://iyck2021.org/index.php/events/#
And Ultima Patagonia 2022?
Well, as we reported in our last newsletter and on the Centre Terre website (www.centre-terre.fr), the expedition has been postponed until 2023 depending on how the pandemic continues to develop.
But so that children in France and Chile can continue to learn with us in 2022, we have set up a Spanish-language school section with a large number of educational resources related to our speleological expeditions in the Madre de Dios archipelago, Diego de Almagro Island and Southern Ice Fields.
Check out the complete information at www.centre-terre.fr
If you are interested in supporting this activity and helping us to lay the foundations for an important educational project in Chile, do not hesitate to contact us at espeleopatagonia@gmail.com to find out the details, the forms of collaboration and the counterparts we propose. You can also collaborate with us through PayPal. Big or small, any help is important and welcome.
The glacier can wait... all the videos! --> watch them here!
The glacier can wait (part 2).
Caving without caves? --> read again
The glacier can wait (part 1).
Discover Puerto Edén! --> read again
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)