This Thursday, October 27, a new version of the Todo Mejora awards was held at the Gabriela Mistral Cultural Center. The ceremony took place within the framework of the 10th anniversary of Todo Mejora and distinguished Fondo Alquimia for the work it does to promote the well-being of children, adolescents and young people who suffer violence due to their sexual orientation, identity and/or gender expression.

The recognition was granted in the "Civil Society" category, which seeks to highlight organizations in this field and that constitute a key element in the development of activism. In this case, the resource mobilization work sustained by Fondo Alquimia since its foundation 20 years ago was highlighted, in addition to its common vision and horizon with Todo Mejora.

A recognition of action

Miguel Cortéz, a member of the Todo Mejora board of directors, referred to the reasons why Alquimia was given this recognition unanimously: “Historically, the Alquimia Fund has been a source of inspiration for us in a job well done. They have been a benchmark regarding how civil organizations take charge of problems or realities that are sometimes ignored by the social structure. They go to the problem, face it, and do it in a professional, timely, and very caring manner.”

Along the same lines, Miguel pointed out that they have felt very supported in the projects they have supported for years. He said that Todo Mejora arose as a dream of giving love to those to whom it does not come easily, who were born to give a warm word, to be like that older brother that we all wanted to have at some point in life to talk and find strength. In this sense, he affirmed that “in Alquimia they have always listened to us. They have put not only ears, but also their shoulders to our work. For us, who are a young organization, having your support helps a lot, it has been super valuable. Beyond the economic contributions, it is an inspiring action”.

Finally, Miguel referred to an experience that they had in mind to grant this recognition and was relevant to the action of Todo Mejora:

“In very specific terms, we were very aware that in times of a pandemic -when we were locked up at home trying to survive and move on with our projects- Alquimia "challenged" us to think not only outwardly, but also inward, doing emphasis on mental health and the living conditions that our volunteers were having throughout Chile. With this he reminded us how important it is to be well internally. In the midst of the crisis, that was very valuable, because it led us to an introspection: to ask ourselves how our volunteers are, our team, how they were in Santiago, in the North, in the South, paying attention to the fact that each reality is different. Based on that concern that Alquimia raised with us, we raised an internal mental health project, with an emphasis on mutual support. For all these reasons, Alquimia is for us a partner organization, a friend, a fund of inspiration and concrete, material and human support”, he concluded.

Watch the full broadcast at the following link: https://twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1lDxLnbZlPZGm