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Founder

In 1953, a U.S. missionary named James Mundell arrived in the south of Chile and settled in the small town of Chol-Chol, a name that means "many trees" in the indigenous Mapuche language. When James began his work in Chol-Chol, he encountered communities that were far removed from technology and that faced scarce food supplies, as well as poor access to health, human services and secondary education.

James worked hard in his pastoral role and even though he chose to not continue to work with the church, stayed on in Chol-Chol and began his campaign to "End hunger in the world", a main goal of his life. In 1971, he legally constituted “The Chol-Chol Foundation” in the United States and then brought the institution down to Chile.

Mr. Mundell believed that human development was possible but would only succeed by supporting the growth of individuals and facilitating access to comprehensive education for all women and men. In this way, individual could act not just as observers of the world around them but as agents that enact change in their own communities.

In recognition for his efforts to help improve the quality of life for Mapuche people and communities, James was awarded the Bernardo O'Higgins Medal by the Chilean Government, the highest honor that can be awarded to a foreigner in Chile.

At the beginning of 1997, James died and bequeathed the oversight of the Foundation to the U.S. Board of Directors. To best manage the institution, it was decided to legally constitute a Chilean institution, Fundación Chol-Chol James Ward Mundell para el Desarrollo Humano, so that local development work was being managed by a local institution, instead of from the U.S. Fundación Chol-Chol is a separate entity from the original Chol-Chol Foundation and is guided by a Chilean Board of Directors that plays an active role in the administration and management of the organization.

The Chol-Chol Foundation does continue to operate as a non-profit organization of the United States and is run by its own Board of Directors. This U.S. institution works independently and allows donors to make tax-deductible financial contributions to support Fundación Chol-Chol.