Update on Futaleufu, Chile, Volcano Eruption
October 6th, 2008 by MalinaAs you may remember, back in May I told you about the devastating volcano eruption in Futaleufu, Chile. The disaster was particularly poignant to us because we run a river trip on the Rio Futaleufu every January so we really wanted to do something to help.
Over the course of the many years planning these trips and making them a reality, All-Outdoors became close with one of the families in the region. The parents, Domingo and Emilia, have raised their three 
daughters very humbly, even though they themselves are college-educated. Domingo supports the family using huge oxen to harvest trees from his father’s property. The vast amounts of ash spewed from the eruption killed many animals in Futaluefu,–including Domingo’s oxen–so for now, his means of supporting his family is in dire jeapordy.
All-Outdoors decided the best way to help in the aftermath of the eruption would be to focus on this family because of our long ties with them. Guests on previous trips have stayed at their isolated home, eaten 
meals with them, and gotten an incredible inside look at traditional life in the region. One of the most pressing concerns right now is the school tuition and related expenses for the three children, so All-Outdoors recently wired enough money to Domingo to pay for these costs for the next two months so that he can focus on rebuilding his livelihood. We look forward to seeing his family and learning more on our trip south this January.
(Above: Guests on previous trips to the Futaleufu took these photographs of Domingo’s family)
