– The agreement between Blumar and Fipasur, originated in 2003, seeks to facilitate young people’s access to higher education.

The Interregional Federation of Artisanal Fishermen of Southern Valdivia (Fipasur) and Blumar joined forces to grant 54 scholarships to children of fishermen as part of a collaboration agreement that began 21 years ago. 

It was in 2003 when Fipasur and Pesquera Tripesca joined forces to support the education of fishermen’s children, seeking to promote the development of artisanal fishing. Since then, more than 840 scholarships have been awarded.

The initiative, which seeks to promote the educational development of fishing communities, has benefited hundreds of young people in recent years, who have accessed higher education in various areas. 

This year, the milestone took place in Caleta Los Molinos, in there attended Congressman Bernardo Berger and Senator Iván Flores, both parliamentarians for the Los Ríos Region.

The head of the Corral Flour plant, Carlos Jainaga, valued the long-standing collaboration between artisanal and industrial fishing in the area. “We have been working and relating to artisanal fishing for 25 years. It is gratifying to see that after this time we have managed to help more than 800 children of workers and artisanal fishermen with study scholarships,” he said. 

Also, the president of Fipasur, Marco Ide, valued “this joint work, which took place in the early 2000s despite the fact that we are from different worlds, and despite the years and changes in administrations of both the company and the federation. It is proof that it is possible to make alliances.”

We know that get an education in Chile is expensive, especially in the coastal areas, where young people have to leave Corral, Bonifacio or Chaihuin to go to Valdivia, and make a series of expenses in pension, transportation, etc. For this reason, we are very happy to have been visionary and made this agreement that favors the children of fishermen with this scholarship that is at their free disposal, and that seeks for them to be more than us and that they always feel proud of being children of artisanal fishermen, who do not forget their roots,” Ide added.