Children from Pozo Almonte participate in an innovative science and educational robotics program

The program name, ViLTI SeMANN, means “eaglets that take flight” in Kunza. The initiative—from the Vice Rector’s Office for Research and Technological Development at Universidad Católica del Norte, supported by SQM—has been working with 61 girls and boys between 5 and 7 years of age in the Tarapacá Region over the last several weeks.

With ten years of experience, ViLTI is currently a nationwide pioneer in developing scientific skills starting in early childhood, through experimentation and scientific inquiry, as well as programming and educational robotics—an educational model working with two groups of students in the district of Pozo Almonte; the “Willka”, or rising sun in Aymara, which brings together 5 year-old girls and boys, and the “Yaku”, water in Quechua, which includes children from 7 to 8 years of age.

For Olga Hernández, director of ViLTI SeMANN, putting the workshop sessions into place in the region was quite a challenge. “The opportunity to continue our work for the second consecutive year in the district fills us with pride and satisfaction, especially considering over sixty children are part of ViLTI in 2023: twenty are continuing with the work we began last year, aimed at developing scientific and technological skills from early childhood,” she said.

Gary Mérida, Head of Community Relations at SQM Tarapacá, commented on the significance of continuing the program in the territory. “It is very important for our company to take this new step; it is our second year in the region, but our tenth as a company, which allows us to generate significant support for students at the schools in La Tirana and La Huayca, bringing science, knowledge and technology into the classroom—in short, the process of scientific development.”

La Tirana and La Huayca

The program currently holds workshop sessions on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays at Casa del Sol Primary School in La Huayca and the Primary School in La Tirana, with the teachers Mariana Alfaro and Juan López acting as mentors, respectively. Their work is focused on experimentation and scientific inquiry, promoting skills such as observation, analytical thinking and teamwork.