On Thursday March 18, 2010, the Gabriela Mistral Foundation and the Latino Heritage Foundation of the New York Times headquarters hosted a charitable event to raise funds for relief efforts in Chile. The first earthquake that rocked Chile was even stronger than the earthquake that rocked Haiti on January 12, 2010. Chile has had 60 movements of the earth and has been hit by a tsunami since the terrible 8.8 earthquake hit the country this past February. The charitable event hosted included musical performances by Claudia Acuna, Ramon Catalan, and Patricio Molina. I was fortunate to interview His Excellency, Ambassador Heraldo Munoz. I would like to share the thoughts of the Ambassador as well as other key figures of Thursday’s event with the Conducive Chronicle readers.
The key word to Thursday’s event was “solidarity”. Chileans are asking for members of the world community to be in solidarity with them at this time. The event was attended by Chileans and friends of Chileans and a silent auction took place to raise funds for relief efforts in Chile. The Dorothy Krakauer gallery donated the artwork. Pieces that were donated to the Gabriela Mistral Foundation included paintings, photographs, chocolate baskets, and fine wines. I was especially impressed with the fact that most of these talented and beautiful pieces were donated by young women.
Board Members of the Gabriela Mistral Foundation (Right: Denic Catalan, Treasurer. Middle: Mario J. Paredes, Vice President)
The Gabriela Mistral Foundation has taken a very hands-on approach to raising funds for Chilean relief. They are working directly with Caritas Chile to provide necessary supplies to Chileans. Presidential Liason, Mario J. Paredes, of the American Bible Society was sure to be transparent as to where all funds would be channeled for Chilean relief. He clarified that some donors have specific requests to cities, towns, or schools in Chile. These requests are honored by the Gabriela Mistral Foundation and funds are appropriated accordingly.
People in the U.S. may not be aware of exactly what is happening in the country. Gloria Garafulich-Grabois, a speaker at Thursday’s event, presented a video entitled: Chile Earthquake Disaster Relief Fund. This Gabriela Mistral Foundation produced the video and it shows how the earthquake, tsunami, and subsequent earth movements have devastated the lives of Chileans. Gloria informed attendees that 1.5 million Chileans lost their homes and livelihoods because of the climatic events that Chile has endured over the past month. Some coastal villages have been completely washed away. Chile will need to begin reconstruction immediately. Gloria also highlighted the emotional damage that Chileans are now facing in light of the earthquake. Many are living in fear and uncertainty as to what their future holds. To Gloria, children were of special concern. Gloria spoke about the magnificent landscape of Chile that has now been compromised due to the natural disasters that have hit Chile. It is the goal of the Gabriela Mistral Foundation to send two barrels of medical supplies worth $700,000.00 to Chile for those in need.
Mario J. Paredes made the opening remarks to introduce the Ambassador. The gathering of Chileans and friends of Chile was “a sign of our humanity” said Paredes. The donations of Thursday’s event will contribute to the well being of the country of Chile.
As I have followed his work, the Ambassadors commitment to Chile has continued since his ties with the Socialists party under Salvador Allende. Ambassador Munoz has shown throughout his lifetime, a commitment to his country and his countrymen. If possible, please read his book The Dictator’s Shadow: Life Under Augusto Pinochet. Ambassador Munoz is the chair of the Gabriela Mistral Foundation and will host and participate in a soccer event with other UN Ambassadors to raise funds for Chile.
Ambassador Heraldo Munoz of the Permenant Mission of Chile to the United Nations
Ambassador Munoz said that Chile will be able to reconstruct its villages, bridges, schools and churches, he assured the attendees even though the earthquake that covered 400 kilometers of land in Chile from Santiago to Concepcion. He said that people in Chile still needed emergency shelter. In the Southern Hemisphere, the fall season is upon them which brings a “treacherous cold rain”. He was thankful for the solidarity that attendees and other members of the world community have given Chile.
The Ambassador mentioned the widespread support from countries such as Indonesia, India, Spain, the U.S. and other Latin-American countries. While mentioning Indonesia, the Ambassador commented on the solidarity that Chile showed to the country after their tsunami in 2004. Chile sent rescue teams to aide in relief efforts. The Ambassador also talked about the assistance teams Chile sent to aid in the catastrophe of Haiti. When I asked the Ambassador about his satisfaction with relief efforts going into Chile, he said that he was “impressed” by the many governments that have shown their solidarity with Chile.
I asked the Ambassador about his thoughts on the scarce media coverage that took place after the natural disasters. He reflected that the news cycle often moves from one crisis to another. He noted the 7.2 aftershock that hit Chile that was stronger than the earthquake that hit Haiti. The Ambassador called for more of a consistency in the media news span for events such as these. When I inquired what the Ambassador would identify as the most immediate need for Chile, he responded with the need for emergency pre-fabricated housing with light fixtures. I asked about internal security concerns within Chile, but the Ambassador did not say that was a problem. He assured me that safety was under control in Chile.
I was also fortunate enough to interview Mario Paredes of the American Bible Association. Paredes said that Chile is a well-organized, developed, and established government that works. He was grateful with the international aide that has been already given to Chile. He brought up the need for financial and economic plans from the international community in terms of rebuilding the infrastructure that has shattered the south of Chile.
Please watch this video of Thursdays event: Gabriela Mistral Foundation Chile Earthquake Relief Concert.
Artists that contributed their work were as follows:
Dorothy Krakauer dorothykrakauer.com
Janet Restino cafepress.com/janetarthouse
Sharine Mohamed SharineProductions.com
Natalia Cioffi NatalieCioffi.com
Olga Papkovitch olgapopartworld.com
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Eryn is a Bostonian native who currently resides in the Metro New York area. She completed her B.A. in Psychology from St. John’s University where she also studied Mandarin, Chinese. Eryn has conducted psycho-social, medical, and environmental research. When she’s off the clock, Eryn spends time learning about world cultures, languages, and the best restaurants in town. She is currently working on her first novel A Beautiful Autymn. You can find more of Eryn’s work ranging from free-writes, poetry, and social analysis at http://autymn.wordpress.com
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[...] me. He showed his support for the country of Chile by making a “modest contribution” to Chilean relief efforts and encouraging the Ambassadors on the field, from the [...]
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I hope my contributions were effective, and very happy to have been part of this cause. Thanks you.
My website link above is not correct and does not link to my site. The correct one is http://www.sharineproductions.com
Thanks you
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