Each year hospitals in the U.S. discard literally tons of unused surgical supplies, in addition to replacing millions of dollars of medical equipment. With many in developing nations literally dying for lack of this same equipment and materials, FEDES undertakes bridging supply and demand in a not-for-profit venture.
In collaboration with the government and international agencies, FEDES initiated a Vocational Training School program (November 2002), whereby young people from underprivileged backgrounds and/or high-risk youth are taught trades. In addition to receiving an education scholarship and on-the-job training, students receive help with writing a resume, and applying for and getting a job in their field of training. These youth also receive their lunch and transportation as part of the program.
FEDES’ latest innovative training course is a Gastronomy and Food Processing module. As the only school of its kind in Latin America, this new training course has already proven to be of great interest to both the public and private sectors, in addition to supplying free education and on-the-job training to underprivileged young people.
This project is oriented toward non-symptomatic HIV-infected people, who are also poverty-stricken and marginalized from employment or labor.
Vocational training project we did with young people from COANIL.These kids are mentally disabled and really poor. The kids learned the basics in carpentry, and included in the project was the building of 4 houses for the kids of COANIL.
Our project, Hearts in Hands (now FEDES), began just over two years ago when we determined to do something to help the children in the community of Huechuraba, one of the poorest sections of Chile’s capital, Santiago. Our work began with organizing a team of volunteers united in the desire to improve the lives of these impoverished children. Our simple goal was to try to bring them some happiness despite their dire living conditions. Through these small beginnings, doors began to open, both here in Chile and in the United States, which has led to our being able to begin pouring a steady lifeline of supplies into this community.