This remote school was scheduled to be closed by the government and the children transported to a larger, distant school. The community banded together to keep the school open, preserving local traditions.

The Sol del Pacifico School educates a group of 19 children—ages 6-12—who live in a rural community on Chile’s Pacific Coast.

GCF and the community funded the replacement of the floors in both classrooms, the teachers’ room, dining room, and kitchen.  Repairs were made to the bathrooms and heating system.

A traveler generously donated  $20,000 to renovate the bathrooms and a playing field, provide a fence around the school, and purchase computers. One of our favorite projects was a field trip to see the penguins.

Learn More

Pargua is a small rural community only 30 miles away from the Penguin Colony on the Island of Chiloe, yet most of the kids in the school had never visited. Raffaele Di Biase, an OAT trip leader and bird expert led the field the trip. For many of the students, it was the first time on a boat and the first time seeing penguins, and an opportunity to learn more about ecology and conservation.