Eight student-athletes from the University of Richmond are participating in the EnCompass Program and traveling in Chile from May 1 to May 9, according to a May 5 report. Their itinerary includes visits to several organizations and cultural sites in Santiago.
The group began their third day with a visit to Caritas Chile, where they spoke with executive director Lorenzo Figueroa León about the organization’s work. León explained that one of Caritas’ main projects is focused on natural disaster preparation due to Chile’s vulnerability to multiple types of disasters. He said their primary focus is on promoting human dignity and personal agency, aiming to empower individuals rather than create dependency. The students also learned about Caritas’ efforts in organizing sports leagues for youth and adults as a way to promote health and community.
Afterward, the students visited a local market before having lunch at an Italian-Chilean restaurant called La Serrana, where they discussed their experiences at Caritas. They then walked to Londres 38, which served as a detention center during the Pinochet dictatorship and now stands as a memorial site for victims known as “los desaparecidos.” The group was unable to tour inside due to funding-related closure but reflected on its significance.
In the afternoon, they toured Estadio Nacional, which has been used both as an athletic venue—including hosting events like the Pan-American Games—and historically as a detention center after the military coup of 1973. One section remains preserved from that period with signage stating: “Un pueblo sin memoria es un pueblo sin futuro” (“A city without memory is a city without a future”). The guide shared personal connections by recounting how his father had been imprisoned there.
The students also visited MOVILH, an organization supporting LGBTQ+ rights in Chile. The director discussed recent increases in discrimination despite past progressiveness on same-sex marriage and trans rights under previous administrations. Each visitor received children’s books created by MOVILH featuring LGBTQ+ characters.
Their day concluded at Club Deportivo at University of San Sebastián where they met Olympic bronze medalist Christian Álvarez Valenzuela and observed various sports activities involving community members and university teams before dining together at Diablo restaurant.
