Our latest adventure in Patagonia’s Aysén region has transformed Villa Cerro Castillo into a hub of agroecological education. With the support of Patagonia Inc. and our dedicated volunteers, we’ve built an outdoor classroom, launched Fundación Renoval, and partnered with local NGO Naturaleza Pública. This project is a testament to the power of collaboration and our commitment to environmental stewardship.

This month, Trek Relief completed its third transformative trip to Patagonia, marked by hard work, shared learning, and a whole lot of joy. Between laughter and dancing, our team eagerly took on new challenges to expand "Green Hope," the organic vegetable garden at the professional technical school in Villa Cerro Castillo.

With guidance from Maria Luisa Carillo, our dedicated gardener, volunteers prepared the garden, greenhouse, and compost boxes for the upcoming winter. These efforts ensure that the garden remains productive and resilient against Patagonia’s challenging conditions.

We’re thrilled to announce that our third trip to Patagonia, Patagonia × Self-Sufficiency: Food, Flora, & Fauna, is set for March 12–23, 2023!

This immersive experience builds on years of collaboration with the Cerro Castillo community. Together, we’ve dedicated countless hours to meaningful volunteer work, community engagement, and leadership to bring sustainable projects to life in this extraordinary region.

After a long wait due to Chile’s strict travel policies during the pandemic, we’re thrilled to announce the successful completion of our second trip to Patagonia! This trip marked a major milestone as we celebrated the launch ceremony of our educational community garden, located at the same school where we established the region’s first-ever recycling point in 2020.

At Trek Relief, our mission to create meaningful change continues, no matter the challenges we face. While the pandemic has limited our ability to run trips in Patagonia due to border restrictions, it hasn’t stopped us from moving forward with our transformative projects.

Thanks to the support of our community, our Board of Directors approved $10,000 in funding to keep the Patagonia program thriving. With our dedicated Patagonia Program Director, Sarah Nguyen, safely quarantining in the region, and the collaboration of local partners, the work is advancing seamlessly.

In early 2020, Trek Relief launched a transformative project in Chilean Patagonia, bringing sustainable development and environmental stewardship to the Villa Cerro Castillo community. Despite the year’s challenges, the results have been nothing short of inspiring. Here’s a recap of the incredible progress made through our “Clean Point” recycling infrastructure at Liceo Rural School.

Even though we’re not traveling right now, Trek Relief’s impact is still making waves abroad. Our Patagonia sustainability project is thriving, thanks to the development and startup investment made during our last trip in March.

With a deep sense of care and responsibility, we’ve made the difficult decision to postpone our second trip to Patagonia. While extended border closures played a role, the well-being of our beneficiaries, whose remote location has helped keep them safe, guided our decision.

As Chile moved to limit international travel with a state of emergency, we successfully completed our first Patagonia trip and officially launched the Sustainable Community Development Program in the Aysén region.

We’re thrilled to announce the launch of our newest program in Patagonia, set in the breathtaking landscapes of Chile’s newly established Patagonia National Park in the Aysén region.