In 1959, Abbé Pierre met a group of young people in Chile who joined forces to help the poor. After a trip to France, they set up Las Urracas (The Magpies) in 1961 which now has four sites, each near a large city.
Las Urracas Emmaus Chile is made up of five rag-picking communities, each with a second-hand shop. They are communities offering a place to live and work, as well as services. They mainly run social, economic and administrative initiatives. Altogether, they bring together 164 male and female companions in the country.
The rag-picking communities carry out the traditional work of Emmaus communities – collecting, sorting, repairing and selling goods at low prices. In addition, they support small farmers’ organisations and indigenous peoples’ campaigns.
