In a ceremony held at the Municipality of Melipeuco, we also announced the results of the 2022 National Environmental Certification Program, which involves four establishments in the sector.
In a ceremony held outside the Melipeuco City Hall, 50 students from the schools Cumcumllaque, Caren, Volcán Llaima and Liceo Los Andes received educational scholarships for elementary, middle and high school, assigned by our Scholarship Program.
The activity was attended by the mayor of the commune of Melipeuco, Alejandro Cuminao, the director of the Municipal Education Administration Department, Johnny Ceballos, the principals, parents and students of the different educational establishments, and representatives of our company.
During the event, Mayor Cuminao emphasized the importance of these initiatives for the future of the young people of the area and that as the mayor's office they hope to continue working to promote and support these types of benefits. "These scholarships come to collaborate and contribute so that the students continue with their studies and move forward with their dreams and careers, which is what we are ultimately interested in".
Since 2014, our Scholarship Program has benefited more than 300 students from Melipeuco, through a benefit whose main objective is to promote education in the area. The initiative seeks to help students in elementary, middle and higher education, so they can buy materials, technological implements, books and other items, and also has a free scholarship for high school students, which consists of a bonus which will allow them to cover the payment of fees, tuition and daily expenses in the cities where they study.
Diego Hollweck, General Manager, highlighted the time they have been carrying out this initiative with the community, which they hope to continue developing in the future. "This scholarship program is a sample of the work we have done with the communities since we arrived in the area, especially with those that are close to our operation and other sectors of the commune. We believe that whatever comes towards improving the levels of education and preparation of our neighbors, speaks of a future being built, and it is in that future that we want to participate," he stressed.
SNCAE environmental certification program
In addition to awarding the scholarships, during the activity the results of the initiatives that were developed in 2022 were presented, within the framework of the Environmental Certification program that we carry out in conjunction with the National Student Environmental Certification Service, also known as SNCAE, and the Education Department of the Municipality of Melipeuco and schools in the commune.
The award seeks to implement a comprehensive strategy to address environmental education for sustainability in the country's educational establishments, from kindergarten to high school.
In the case of Melipeuco, the schools Volcán Llaima, Cumcumllaque, Caren and Liceo Los Andes are the establishments that were certified during 2022, who also presented a photographic exhibition to show the activities in which they participated this year.
On the other hand, within the news reported regarding the initiative, we announced the integration of three establishments to the 2023 environmental certification process, along with the incorporation of the Papageno Foundation project to rural schools in the commune. This organization reaches more than 1500 children with free musical education and its implementation that we will develop together with a strategic alliance with the Municipality of Melipeuco.
Regarding the program, José Salgado, Manager of Safety, Sustainability and Environment, valued the collaborative work that has been implemented and invited the community to continue. "For our part, we will continue to support this beautiful project, which is important not only for the commune of Melipeuco, but also for all the schools in the country that are joining this certification system," he added.
Along the same lines, the principal of the Volcán Llaima School, Monserrat González, highlighted the work that was done during the year and made a call to take care this type of projects. Likewise, the teacher emphasized that "when there is this collaborative work of support, obviously great things are achieved. The important thing now is to project to the community to make this work much more effective and to let them know all the work that is done within our establishments".
En la jornada también estuvieron presentes distintos grupos artísticos y conjuntos musicales que trabajan junto a nuestra empresa y la Municipalidad en distintos proyectos. Estos fueron la «Fundación Cultural Papageno”, el “Club de Artes Marciales Okinawa” quienes pasaron de tener cinco alumnos a contar con cuarenta integrantes en menos de un año, y el Ballet Folclórico Comunal, que deleitó a los asistentes con distintos bailes de danza nacional.
EN 
ES