2,500 school kits will help students return to their studies in 23 districts affected by fires

The aid is part of the “CMPC Reconstruye” [CMPC Rebuilds] program, which seeks to cover the needs of thousands of families in rural parts of south-central Chile who were hit by the wildfires in February of this year.

As a way to support families who were victims of this summer’s rural fires and collaborating on the return to everyday life, CMPC’s community relations team and company executives visited some of the most affected municipal districts to deliver backpacks with a sizeable school supply kit containing notebooks, pencils, rulers, scissors, tempera paints and paintbrush sets, and other items.
The first day of school kit delivery was last Friday in the Liguén area of La Esperanza in the Collipulli district, where 15 families reside. The school kits were delivered door to door.

Scarlette Vásquez is the mother of third grader Benjamín Cea, who attends the School of Villa Nicolás Pérez Cárdenas. “With the increase in the cost of the school supplies, this kit is a great help for us because it has everything in it,” she said.

Similarly, 11-year-old Pascal Collio also benefited from the delivery. After returning to school she commented, “I like it because it will help me in my studies, since I will have more things to write and color with.”

Gabriel Medina, in charge of Territorial Relationship Management for CMPC in Collipulli said, “Part of our work is to have continuous contact with the communities. We get the chance to understand their needs via a letter in which they explain how many children are affected by the various conditions of vulnerability, and we serve them based on those descriptions. We are returning to in-person education, and it is essential for them to have all of their school supplies,” he said.

A total of 2,500 school kits will be delivered in 23 districts in the Provinces of Biobío, Arauco, Malleco and Cautín, the same ones where the company has focused its support actions under the program called “CMPC Reconstruye”.

CMPC Reconstruye

The delivery of supplies for students is part of a larger company plan called “CMPC Reconstruye”, which seeks to aid residents of the area most affected by fires that struck south-central Chile in February of this year. To date, it has helped provide fodder for animals, rebuild infrastructure, offer water solutions and deliver basic supplies to families along with other actions in conjunction with local organizations and municipalities.

CMPC Forests Public Affairs Manager Ignacio Lira said, “This program aims to make us a part of the reactivation of rural areas that have gone through a difficult fire season this summer. Part of this commitment is to get back to normal life as much as possible in the communities, which is why we’ve been supporting key restoration initiatives for the rural world and its local businesses.”
The community relations teams have remained on the ground to gather information about their needs directly from the residents of these areas to jointly coordinate aid in more than 20 districts in the Biobío and La Araucanía Regions.