APEC Secretariat Donation to the Fundación Cristo Vive to support Youth Professional Development in Impoverished Areas

Youth from disadvantaged areas in Santiago will benefit from a donation received from staff at the APEC Secretariat in Singapore. Executive Director of the APEC Secretariat, Ambassador Mario Artaza, said the donation was part of an annual fund raising effort by the Secretariat's Social Committee to raise funds for a charity in each years' APEC host economy.

With Chile as the APEC Host Economy in 2004, the APEC Secretariat chose the Educational Centre Clotario Blest at the Fundación Cristo Vive, a manual skills training centre for underprivileged youth, to be the recipient of the donation.

Ambassador Artaza led a delegation of staff from the APEC Secretariat, including Deputy Executive Director, Ambassador Choi Seok Young, on a tour of the facilities and met the students. During the tour the Secretariat delegation presented a check for US$1,500 to an informal gathering of students in the school?s metalwork training room.

Speaking with the Executive Director of Fundación Cristo Vive, Fernando Massad, and students from the centre, Ambassador said the APEC Secretariat hoped the donation would "support the professional development of Chilean young people as they strive to build their skills and take new jobs in the workforce."

"Organizations such as APEC and Fundación Cristo Vive contribute to development through different ways. For APEC we look for the development of Member Economies through economic cooperation and facilitating regional trade and investment. Whereas the Fundación Cristo Vive promotes the social and human development of young people. Ultimately we both work to the same goals of the social and economic development of people in our community."

Ambassador Artaza said the Secretariat's 50 employees raising the donation highlights the human dimension of the APEC process. Through this staff contribution the Secretariat is hoping to not only assist with improving the facilities of the centre, but also to highlight the important contribution made by individual charities in the region. In the 2003 APEC year hosted by Thailand APEC Secretariat staff made a similar contribution a children's orphanage.

The Fundación Cristo Vive institution provides education and training to create opportunities for around 600 young people each year. The courses offered by the foundation run for ten months in duration and include skill areas such as electrical systems training, metal work, carpentry and gardening.

The Fundación Cristo Vive website is: www.fundacioncristovive.cl