In South America, there are stories that begin as a small idea and end up transforming entire communities. The implementation of the FAST Heroes campaign through the SD4G Volunteering Program of Boehringer Ingelheim, in close collaboration with the Angels Initiative, is one of those stories.
What started as a regional educational pilot became a community-driven movement with real health impact, global recognition, and a model with strong potential to scale across the region.
The heart of the project: volunteers transforming realities
None of this would have been possible without the commitment of people who chose to give their time, energy, and social awareness, bringing the campaign to two schools located in vulnerable communities in Puente Alto, Santiago de Chile.
Volunteers were first trained to deeply understand the campaign, and then took on the role of trainers for teachers and school staff – a crucial step to ensure that the message reached families as well as studnets. Their purpose was clear: to empower each child to become a hero, capable of recognizing the signs of stroke and acting quickly.
It was an innovative approach, bringing a global campaign to vulnerable schools through presence, empathy, and collaborative work.
When children become heroes
At Maipo and Padre Hurtado schools in Santiago de Chile, more than 400 boys and girls participated in the program. They learned to identify warning signs, but also something deeper: that they themselves could take care of others.
The most moving aspect of the project was its multiplier effect.
Each child took the message home. As a result, more than 400 families also learned to recognize the signs of stroke through their children and grandchildren.
That is the power of well-oriented volunteering: transcending generations.
What we achieved together
- We trained Boehringer Ingelheim volunteers as FAST Heroes facilitators.
- We worked side by side with teachers in vulnerable schools.
- We implemented the educational campaign in Santiago de Chile.
- We transformed learning for children, families, and entire communities.
A closing moment that celebrated learning
At the beginning of December, participating children received their FAST Heroes diplomas in a ceremony filled with emotion and pride. Each diploma symbolized more than an academic achievement: it represented a family better prepared to face an emergency and a more protected community.
Additionally, Boehringer Ingelheim’s global Sustainability team reaffirmed its support, enabling the model to expand to new vulnerable communities across South America. This ensures continuity, scalability, and – most importantly – more lives impacted.
Recognition that reflects a collective journey
Last October, this volunteering initiative was recognized with the Sustainability Award 2025 – More Potential, an acknowledgment that felt like an embrace of all the effort involved.
It was not the goal, but it was a beautiful consequence.
The award recognized our region’s ability to unite volunteering, education, and purpose in a project that truly transforms lives.
When prevention starts in the classroom and reaches the entire community
The FAST Heroes experience in South America once again demonstrated that prevention could begin in a classroom, but its impact extends far beyond it. When a child recognizes a symptom, when a family knows what to do, when a community feels more prepared, a network of care is strengthened – one that saves lives.
This pilot not only opened doors for continued growth across the region; it also reaffirmed a purpose we share with the Angels Initiative in every step we take: bringing accessible knowledge closer to communities, reducing inequities, and giving more people the opportunity to act in time when facing a stroke.
The path that began in these schools in Santiago de Chile shows that when education, health, and community come together, change is real, deep, and lasting.
And this is just one of many stories that will continue to inspire our work in South America.
