In February 2012, a historic social movement swept through the region of Aysén in southern Chile. Citizens blocked roads and brought the eyes of the Chilean government to their isolated region. The seven key demands of the protesters included the completion of a long-promised-and-often-postponed road improvement project, updated local hospitals, and the right to decide as a region on issues such as
hydroelectric dams. I was at the front lines of the road block in the small town of Cochrane, where I watched a community put aside differences and unite in the name of the greater good.