La Loma, January 30, 2023
As part of its commitment to help improve the quality of life of its communities in its area of influence, Drummond Ltd. has moved ahead with its High Impact Projects chosen in consensus with the towns of Chiriguana and La Jagua de Ibirico, in Cesar.
The projects, which correspond to the supplementary agreement to the La Loma exploration and production contract signed with the National Mining Agency, will include the construction of more than 240 homes.
Working in alliance with local administrations and Universidad de Santander (UDES), the company handed out letters awarding homes to the beneficiaries of the project’s first stage, in which 158 homes (79 in each municipality) will be built.
“We organized an event to deliver letters assigning the first 79 homes in stage one of the High Impact Project to build homes on owned property in the towns of Chiriguana and La Jagua de Ibirico. In total, 158 homes will be built in 2023, which will help improve the quality of life of these families,” said William Espinosa, Corporate Social Responsibility Supervisor at Drummond Ltd.
Universidad de Santander designed rules for the selection process that would promote the objective and transparent selection of the beneficiaries of the High Impact Projects. The process evaluated 20 variables related to the current conditions of registered households. This guaranteed giving priority to households with greater vulnerability, especially mothers who are the heads of households, and families that include disabled persons or people from other population groups requiring special protection.
“UDES approves of this project because it will reduce poverty in vulnerable communities by improving the housing habitability index, which we know is one of the most important indicators for poverty, not only in Colombia, but around the world,” stated Gilma Gomez, representative of Universidad de Santander.
The project, which will benefit approximately 400 families, will reduce poverty and a quantitative deficit in housing, along with diminishing unsatisfied basic needs, especially in rural areas.
The budget for implementing each project is USD$3.6 million (approximately $16,380 million pesos), an additional investment expected to provide a boost to the local economy of these municipalities.
“I am grateful for Drummond’s initiative in this project. Thank you Drummond, and thank you Universidad de Santander, for making this dream come true that many of us were hoping would become a reality,” said Marta Lucia Borja, one of the project’s beneficiaries.
Building begins this year on these homes, as part of Drummond’s work toward United Nations Sustainable Development Goals number 1 and 11, ‘End poverty in all its forms’ and ‘Make cities and human settlements sustainable.’