Located in one of the poorest areas in Puente Alto is the recently established Escuela Básica N° 138. By 'adopting' a child for the duration of his or her time at that college, not only will you make a significant difference to that child's ability to learn and develop, but you will also receive a lasting reward … the knowledge that YOU have made that difference. Here's what it's all about.

In the heart of an impoverished housing estate in Puente Alto is the recently established Escuela Básica N° 138. Opened in March 2002, it now provides a standard of education to some 400 children that live in that area, comparable only to the best private schools in the world, and absolutely free of all charges.

Because it is financed by the Consorcio Foundation, we have been able to bring to that area an unusually high standard of education both with its outstanding facilities and also by our being able to attract the very best and most dedicated professionals.
However from the very first days it became clear that many of the children were undernourished and as a result their span of attention suffered badly. To some extent this had been anticipated and the school is equipped with a modern kitchen and a large and attractive dining area.
For the first year the Foundation decided to provide all the students, from Kinder upwards, with a healthy breakfast and a cooked lunch. That program continues, subsidized by the Government, for 226 of the poorest attendees who, based on a means test, receive their meals free of charge. However the remaining 254 pupils need to bring their lunch in a Thermos.
There is no doubt in the minds of the School Board that ideally all the children should be fed every school day - we have the space and the facilities. However the resources of the Foundation are limited and if they were to spend the $50 million pesos that would be needed to provide the meals, other aspects of the education that is provided would inevitably suffer. For this reason a number of volunteers have agreed to implement the 'Padrino' program known as RED DE AMIGOS.