The president of the Prodemu union, Fabiola Cayla, accused the ministra de la Mujer (Minister for Women), Judith Marín, of wanting to shut down the foundation and of dodging responsibility. "The minister is washing her hands of it", she told Radio Infinita, as reported by T13.
Prodemu, the Fundación para la Promoción y el Desarrollo de la Mujer (Foundation for the Promotion and Development of Women), is a nonprofit created by Leonor Oyarzún, first lady to President Patricio Aylwin. It runs public programs such as Mujeres Rurales (Rural Women), together with the Instituto de Desarrollo Agropecuario (Indap, the state agricultural development agency), and others with the Servicio Nacional de la Mujer y la Equidad de Género (Sernameg, the national service for women and gender equity).
Its future now rests with the Congreso Nacional (Chile's legislature). The Government's 2027 Ley de Presupuestos (annual national budget law) bill only allocates it funds until March 31, 2027, the date by which it must cease operations. Those funds cover its dissolution: severance pay, labor obligations and debts to suppliers.
Marín maintained that her ministry does not have the power to decide on the closure. Cayla replied that the chair of the board usually falls to the minister and that this time Marín appointed someone else. "We are certain that her goal is to close the institution for good", she said.
The Government describes the financial situation as "insurmountable". Marín told Radio Bío Bío that the debt amounts to about $3,000 million and blamed Irina Karamanos, former partner of ex-president Gabriel Boric. In 2022, Karamanos abolished the first lady's office and transferred the foundations to the ministries.
The minister also stated that only 20% of the resources reach women and that the rest goes to salaries and rent. Cayla explained that this 20% corresponds to direct transfers to beneficiaries and that the foundation needs teams in every province.
The union takes a critical view of Karamanos. Cayla said the transfer was "very improvised", with no protocol or trial period, and that it deepened the crisis. However, she clarified that the former first lady bears "responsibility for the crisis, but not for the closure".
Former Minister for Women Antonia Orellana told CNN Chile that Marín is "misinformed" and is mixing up "apples and oranges" (literally, "pears with apples"). According to Orellana, Indap and Sernameg have funded Prodemu for three administrations.
Orellana admitted that the deficit "grew during our time in government". She attributed it to the 2024 Ley de Presupuestos, which tightened the rules for foundations after the Convenios case. She also noted that the board, which holds civil liability for the foundation, is chaired by Marín.
Marcela Sandoval, former director of Prodemu and a former minister under Boric, called the transfer argument "a lie". She said the closure stems from a "deep ideological bias" on the part of the Government.
According to Orellana, Prodemu serves about 50 thousand women each year. Cayla said her only hope lies with lawmakers, who are due to vote on the 2027 Budget in the coming weeks.
