These are the words of the Pupils of 2 nd Graders in Basic Education (8 – 10 year olds). CE1 D, Lycée Charles de Gaulle, Concepcion, have helped COANIQUEM in multiple activities: collecting 550 books & donating them to form the CQ Library; producing 520 hand-decorated Christmas stockings filled with sweets, as Christmas presents for the children of CQ´s three Centers (Antofagasta, Santiago & Puerto Montt) and Casabierta. The sweets were a joint effort of these children with the 7 th Graders of the European School of Luxembourg .

These children's actions were supported & motivated by their teachers Gabriela Bizama (CE1 D, Lycée Charles de Gaulle, Concepcion) y Corinne Cougnon (European School of Luxembourg), coordinated by Nicole Sevellec. All parents have also taken positive actions to help.

Gabriela Bizama was inspired in a motivational presentation by Edward Wale, proposing a simple concept – “Children for Children” – and immediately started her Project “a Library for COANIQUEM AUSTRAL” in Puerto Montt. This initiative took hold in the students as they continued with this Christmas effort”.

Sabine Dubernard, Head of the Lycée Charles de Gaulle, points out that “the COANIQUEM support effort is very important to this Institution because it connects solidarity with education - fundamental axis of this French Educational Project”

The formative orientation of this school puts special care in developing the integral child, aspiring to human & academic excellence. To them, solidarity means “sharing with an underprivileged on the same level even though there is a difference, without considering that there is a lesser person but an equal – solidarity considers everyone as the same, whilst charity considers one as an inferior. This is the empathy which we strive to develop in our students, because we are not all the same and we all need each other. This is an essential value that goes in hand with respect and fraternity”, says Dubernard.

Eduardo Nova Paredes, a 7 year-old adds, ”helping COANIQUEM I learned that thousands of children have been burned. I hope that the children of COANIQUEM enjoyed the projects we did for them with love - the Library & the Christmas stockings. This year we will start paper recycling for them. I had never taken part in such big campaigns & I feel very good for being involved”.

During their stay the students developed & took part in specific activities for each specialty, such as: observation in each unit where specific clinical activities were taking place; participating in meetings where cases were presented and analyzed; participating in primary & secondary prevention activities.

They also participated in: the “Child burn prevention” course; worked on theoretical & practical contents; participated in the “Emotional preparation for wound treatment, surgery & rehabilitation” and finally elaborated projects to be developed in their own countries.

These internships took place from March through June, with the assistance of professionals from Colombia , Costa Rica , Cuba , El Salvador , Guatemala , Honduras , Peru & Uruguay .

Check COANIQUEM´S International Degree “Burnt Chile Rehabilitation” list of participating professionals :

COANIQUEM´S INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATE “Burnt Child Rehabilitation”, is an academic program developed in our Santiago Rehabilitation Center , financed by the International Cooperation Agency (Agencia de Cooperacion Internacional) of the Foreign Affairs Ministry.

This program is targeted at University Health Professionals directly involved in their local care & rehabilitation of burnt children, in their evolving stages.

The principal objective of this program is to form high quality professionals, duly trained to develop initiatives that can be proposed through local networks for the prevention of burns and the integral rehabilitation of burnt children & families, in harmony with their local reality.

Additionally COANIQUEM wants to contribute to reinforce peace and understanding amongst nations, promote health and overcome poverty standards, helping the social development of low income families, which are the ones that most contribute to burnt children statistics.

The National Security Council is a Government created institution in 1953, whose objective is to support risk prevention & create conscience on the need for accident prevention & professional illness in all national activities.

The official ceremony was held on Tuesday 29 of May and was attended by Ms. Lissette García Bustamante, Under Secretary for Social Prevention of the Labor Ministry of Chile.

Hundreds of young collaborators were out on the streets helping out our Corporation's staff. The enthusiasm and efforts of all involved made this year´s magnificent result come true.

Outstanding performances were: Arica , up 251% over 2006, Valdivia with an increase of 180% & Puerto Montt with 179%. A special mention goes to the Metropolitan Region where 40% of the country's population lives, which increased 44%, reaching 62 million pesos (some 118 thousand dollars).

Hernan Carvallo, manager of the COANIQUEM Foundation responsible for the National Colecta pointed out what he considers where great assets to this activity: Ambrosoli´s great candy & campaign contributions (Ambrosoli is the Sweets Division of the Carozzi group of companies); the drugstore chain Salcobrand, which tripled their normal day “customer's change contribution” and doubled the amount from their corporation coffers, all finally blessed by great weather.