🤝 A new ally in the fight against DIPG: the Municipality of Viña del Mar signs an agreement with the Santino Pizarro Carrizo Foundation
The agreement, signed last Tuesday, April 7, in the gardens of Palacio Vergara with the presence of Mayor Macarena Ripamonti, will allow the foundation to access municipal venues to hold seminars, medical talks, and fundraising events benefiting families facing DIPG in our country and around the world.
A step that marks a before and after
This Tuesday, April 7, in a ceremony held at Palacio Vergara in Viña del Mar, the Municipality of the Garden City and the Santino Pizarro Carrizo Foundation signed a collaboration agreement that marks a milestone in the organization’s history and in raising awareness of DIPG in our country. Mayor Macarena Ripamonti led the event alongside Mauricio Pizarro, president of the foundation, in a day that moved everyone in attendance.
What does the agreement mean?
The agreement enables the Santino Pizarro Carrizo Foundation to use municipal venues in Viña del Mar to carry out:
🏥 Seminars and medical talks to spread awareness and knowledge about DIPG, both socially and scientifically
🎪 Family events and fundraising activities that provide financial support to families undergoing treatment
📢 Awareness initiatives that help position this disease on the local and national public agenda
The mayor’s words
Mayor Macarena Ripamonti expressed her pride in being part of this alliance:
“As a municipality, we are very proud to celebrate this agreement, whose purpose is to highlight the foundation’s leadership and its work not only for children in our community, but across the country and internationally. Facing a rare disease requires support in building networks and raising awareness not only socially, but also within the scientific and medical community. Therefore, as a municipality, we are committed to placing these discussions at the center.”
The foundation’s voice
For Mauricio Pizarro, president of the Santino Pizarro Carrizo Foundation, formalizing this alliance represents much more than just an agreement:
“The municipality has supported us from day one, so formalizing this alliance will help us carry out more activities. It will allow us to access municipal spaces to develop initiatives focused on both clinical aspects, such as seminars or talks, and family events aimed at raising funds and supporting families.” He also emphasized the urgency surrounding this disease:
“DIPG does not wait, and our mission is to be the bridge that allows children and their families to access information and clinical trials available worldwide.”
Why is this agreement so important?
DIPG (Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma) is an extremely aggressive pediatric brain tumor that, in Chile, lacks established treatment protocols and access to clinical trials. The only experimental therapeutic options currently available are in Spain and the United States, which means that every family receiving this diagnosis must also bear the financial burden of traveling, relocating, and covering treatment costs abroad. The Santino Pizarro Carrizo Foundation acts as a bridge between the Chilean healthcare system and the possibility of fighting this disease with dignity.
POCHITO Festival: the cause in action
As part of this joint effort, the POCHITO Festival will take place on April 25 and 26 at the Sporting Club in Viña del Mar. This is a non-profit, family-friendly gastronomic and musical event, with all proceeds going to the foundation to cover travel and accommodation expenses for patients in international oncology centers.
👉🏼 Admission is free by downloading a pass at www.festivalpochito.cl, and the ticket price at the entrance is $2,000. A plan for the whole family that, this time, also means truly helping.
For more information, donations, or details about the POCHITO Festival, visit fundacionspc.org or follow the foundation on social media.