Community Awards
Excellence Award
José Haroldo Chaves Paulo (team representative)
Fish Farming Development Program
Aluminium, Mineração Rio do Norte, Brazil
The objective of the Fish Farming Development Program, as managed by José and his colleagues, is to stimulate local interest for fish farming as a viable means of generating income while simultaneously building awareness for the importance of conserving local fish species.
MRN is located in the far west of the State of Para. Its host communities dwell along the banks of the Trombetas, Amazon and Inhamunda Rivers, relying on fishing, cattle ranching and subsistence agriculture.
Uncontrolled, predatory fishing has substantially reduced the availability of fish in the region, to the point where in some regions and periods of the year, it is difficult to even catch fish for family consumption. The family income is already low - families live on a monthly income equivalent to 20 per cent of Brazil’s minimum salary. Facing limited options, many locals migrate to the nearest cities or attempt activities for which they are unskilled.
Fish farming (specifically in net pools) is an important new source of income. As a consequence, living standards improve and the populations remain settled in the countryside. With families having more financial resources, riverside children will enjoy better schooling and time to study, since fish farming does not require full-time labour, unlike other traditional activities such as agriculture.
At the same time the project also builds awareness for the importance of preserving local fish species.
Highly Commended Awards
Humera Malik (team representative)
Community Sanitation Program
Petroleum, Zanzama Asset, Pakistan
Humera and her colleagues, as part of our Pakistan asset’s community development program, have initiated a community-based sanitation project that is based on building local awareness of the importance of sanitation and organising local committees to represent the community in the planning and implementation process.
Johi is the tehsil (municipal administration) headquarters of the Dadu district and supports a growing population of approximately 18,000. While clean water is critical, so is a proper sanitation system, without which the local communities are deprived of any possibility of improving hygiene in the area.
The project is being undertaken in partnership with a local NGO, the Kachho Foundation, and is supported by the local government. Our contribution entails upgrading the sanitation system in Sayedabad as a model for future upgrades in the area. A concrete drainage system will be installed and pavements resurfaced. The project will immediately benefit the 50 households in the village and will provide jobs and business opportunities for local people.
Alfredo Zuniga (team representative)
Tintaya Foundation
Base Metals, Tintaya, Chile
Alfredo and his multi-task team of professionals are responsible for the Tintaya Foundation, an independent non-profit organisation created, with the support of our Tintaya copper operation, to contribute to the sustainability of mine’s host communities by promoting and improving community self-management and participation processes.
Tintaya is located in the Espinar province and has had a history of community unrest stemming back many years to when the project was owned and operated by the State. In recent years, the Company has sought to improve relationships with the mine's host communities and the Foundation has played a key role in this regard.
Established in 2001, the Foundation includes external representation to ensure a full understanding of the community's needs and an ability to work with local and international non-government organisations (NGOs) to establish formal dialogue processes and agreements regarding community benefits.
The Foundation has delivered some 50 programs spanning the areas of education, health, agriculture, livestock development, and infrastructure. Preliminary research indicates an improvement in the quality of life of beneficiaries to the program, which are estimated to be around 10,000 local people.
Merit Awards
Frans-Jozef Jaspers (team representative)
Mozlink II
Aluminium, Mozal, Mozambique
Following a benchmarking exercise with the International Finance Corporation, Frans-Josef and his colleagues conceived Mozlink II as way to build on the benefits being derived from the existing Mozlink program that awards Company contracts to Mozambican suppliers. As a result, other Mozambican companies are switching to locally sourced materials and products.
Since 2002, Mozal has increased spending with Mozambican companies from around US$6 million per month to more than US$15 million per month. This significant increase is the result of a focused drive by Mozal to award contracts to Mozambican suppliers who comply with the Company's HSEC and business conduct principles. Additionally, Mozal continued to pro-actively support programs and initiatives aimed at building the capacity of small and medium enterprises. Mozlink II is the way to extend this good practice and help to further accelerate the growth of the Mozambican economy.
The first contract package under the enhanced Mozlink program has boosted the economy by around US$500,000 and it is anticipated the value of the contract could grow to around US$5 million per annum within two years.
Salvador Traquino (team representative)
Drought Relief Program
Aluminium, Mozal, Mozambique
Since 2003 Mozambique has been experiencing a serious drought. Salvador and his colleagues at the Mozal Community Development Trust have initiated a program that is helping local farmers generate crops throughout the year.
The impact of the drought on local communities has been devastating. Food shortages have lead to increased levels of starvation, which, in turn, has accelerated the cycle of poverty. With the cooperation of the local government authority, the MCDT is rehabilitating water channels; providing seeds, fertilisers and fungicides, and technical support for the irrigation and production system; and teaching new agricultural techniques.
As a result of the project, annual production has increased almost four-fold. Farmers have access to food throughout the year and are generating income from the sale of surplus produce. This, in turn, is helping to break the cycle of poverty by reducing debt and increasing spending on such basic needs as food, health and education. The local economy is strengthened by an improvement in the local employment rate and an increase in disposable income levels.
Rick Peters (team representative)
Groote Eylandt Liquor Management Plan
Carbon Steel Materials, GEMCO, Australia
The GEMCO manganese mine is on Aboriginal land owned by the Anindilyakwa people. Under an agreement with the traditional owners, we are committed to managing the impacts of alcohol on the local people.
Following extensive consultation with all stakeholders, Rick and the Community Relations team at GEMCO have developed a liquor management plan that has not only been accepted by the local people but also passed as law under the Northern Territory Liquor Act.
The impact on the Groote Eylandt community has been extremely positive. Police have recorded a significant decrease in criminal charges and the incidence of alcohol-related health issues has declined. The plan has also assisted GEMCO's Aboriginal Employment Strategy, which has seen absenteeism decrease from an average of 9 per cent to 2.5 per cent. The local community employment program is recording similar decreases in absenteeism and now has a fully functional workforce committed to improving the quality of life of Aboriginal people on Groote Eylandt.
Ralph Chelotti (team representative)
Professional Skills Development Program
Carbon Steel Materials, Samarco Mineração S.A., Brazil
The goal of the Professional Skills Development Program implemented by Ralph and his colleagues is to enhance the skills of people from local communities so that they can seek employment with both Samarco and other local industries.
The driver for the program was the need for a workforce of qualified professionals to support Samarco in commissioning its third pellet plant. Recognising that the labour market from nearby communities lacked the required skills, the team set about investing in developing a workforce.
With the full ongoing support of all levels of government, two teaching centres for vocational training and professional development courses have been established. This, in turn, has led to the opening of federal employment agencies in the local commuinities. Currently all new hires for Samarco Third Pellet Plant Project are processed by the agencies, giving priority to the people who have received training at the teaching centres.
The program is the first of its kind in the states of Minas Gerais and Espirito Santo. To date over 1,950 people have completed courses in civil construction and electromechanical assembly, and indicators point to a trend of increasing enrolment; they also show that only 12 per cent have failed to achieve certification.
Luis Ponguta (team representative)
Community Relocation Project
Stainless Steel Metals, Cerro Matoso, Colombia
With the expansion of the mining field, 26 families living in the neighbouring area needed to be relocated. Luis and his team successfully managed the relocation in accordance with the World Bank Guidelines for Involuntary Resettlement. Key to the process was ongoing consultation and participative decision-making.
Weekly meetings were held with all stakeholders, including local government representatives. Two team members also lived on-site with the families during the moving process and immediately after the relocation, which made it easier to monitor the project and build trust. Each family participated in choosing the new site for their homes and at least one member from each family was employed in the construction of the new homes and associated infrastructure. Overall, some 90 per cent of the required labour for the project was sourced from the local community.
Prior to relocating, the project team also initiated community projects that were designed to assist with assimilating the relocated families into the new community.
In the beginning the families were reluctant to move but the participative, multi-disciplinary approach addressed their concerns; all families are now self-sufficient.
Sheldon Narine (team representative)
Livestock Training Programme
Petroleum, Angostura Oil and Gas, Trinidad and Tobago
Sheldon and his HSEC and External Affairs colleagues, in partnership with the local community and the Ministry of Agriculture, have initiated a project to assist farmers become self-reliant through the breeding and marketing sheep and goats as a small-scale commercial venture.
Prior to our endeavours agriculture was declining, the community was divided and fragmented, and there was strong resentment towards multi-national organisations which was manifested itself in vandalism to our pipelines and other assets. The programme has helped develop an entrepreneurial spirit within the community and build a relationship based on openness, trust, and involvement.
The programme is the first of its kind in the West Indies, and there is already evidence of parents
Victor Ladeira (team representative)
Valesul Volunteer Program
Aluminium, Valesul Alumínio S.A., Brazil
The Valesul operation is located among communities facing extreme economic and social hardship. Following extensive analysis, Victor and the members of the Volunteer Program are delivering programs in partnership with various public bodies that have benefited 15,000 in just over three years.
Key to the program's success has been extensively mapping and surveying the needs of and provision of services in the surrounding communities in order to establish programs that reflect their true needs, and even their culture.
The program focuses on creating initiatives for the prevention and improvement of health conditions of the surrounding communities; implementing environmental projects at public schools that are designed to raise awareness around the importance of preserving the environment; encouraging participation in a formal Street Art project as a means of both stimulating an interest in art and acting as an informal social network; offering free professional development courses for local citizens; and fostering public investments in social infrastructure.
