Malvén Colhue Indigenous Association improves the security of their ruca, thanks to support from AES Chile

February 12, 2025

The Malvén Colhue Indigenous Association, located in Aurora de Enero, in the commune of Mulchén, held the closing ceremony of the third Social Investment Fund associated with AES Chile's Los Olmos Park, which is part of the collaboration agreement between the company and the community. This time, it was the financing of a project that will benefit more than 80 people.

Under the name "Securing Our Future in Malvén Colhue," the initiative aims to improve the security measures of the ruca, a social headquarters used as a meeting place for the members of this community. The ceremony, which included the tasting of traditional Mapuche dishes, was attended by community representatives, the Second Police Station of Mulchén, and the company.

This milestone marks the end of the work that began in mid-2024, when the association members, in their quest to safeguard their cultural heritage, identified security as their main issue and designed this project together with Fundación AES Chile.

Blanca Soto, president of the Association, thanked the contribution of the Los Olmos Wind Farm and explained that "this project arose because of the thefts we had in our ruca. Now we have fences, an emergency light, and an alarm. This way, we have all our things secure".

Meanwhile, Rubén Barahona, Head of Operations and Maintenance of the Los Olmos Wind Farm, highlighted that "it was gratifying to see how this community was able to use the funds granted during 2024 in their facilities, improving perimeter security and in the ruca where they carry out their activities. They expressed that they are very happy and grateful for this opportunity, and we hope to continue strengthening good relations".

For his part, Police Sub-officer Héctor Sepúlveda valued the joint work of the institution with the communities and among the neighbors themselves: "The main thing for crime prevention is good communication with our surroundings. If I have good neighborhood contact and get along well with them, we can help each other to prevent crimes, that is, to do prevention from self-care," he emphasized.

The Malvén Colhue Indigenous Association is one of the six neighboring organizations with which AES Chile has been working since the Los Olmos Wind Farm began operations.