Drummond Ltd. inaugurates new school in a rural area of Becerril, Cesar: Villa Matilde School, El Centro campus

La Loma, April 24, 2023

*Cutting the ribbon at the inauguration.

As a contribution to quality education at the schools in its area of influence, Drummond Ltd., in joint work with the Mayor of Becerril, completed the construction project at the Villa Matilde School, El Centro campus, located in a rural area of the municipality of Becerril.

The work, paid for by the mining company at a total cost of 520 million pesos, was supported and supervised by the municipal mayor’s office, and resulted in the construction of two brand new classrooms, fully equipped restrooms, and a kitchen and dining room for the benefit of more than 90 children.

“This initiative is developed under the company’s pillars of Governance for Development and Comprehensive Development in its corporate social responsibility strategy. We strengthen institutional and community capacity in our area of influence through training programs, and strengthen education through improvements to infrastructure and the quality of education,” indicated Yilda Tatiana Pineda, Drummond’s senior supervisor of community relations in Cesar.

The community in El Centro, members of the council, representatives of community action boards, and parents of the students attended the inauguration of the project, with the participation of the Mayor of Becerril, Raul Machado Luna, and his team.

“It’s a historic day for education here in Becerril, in the district of La Guajirita, and especially here in El Centro. We are committed to education. It is one of the core areas we are strengthening and we are going to continue to strengthen it so that our children and young people can receive a quality education in learning environments like this one,” said Raul Machado, Mayor of Becerril.

Drummond will soon equip the new areas with the furnishings and items needed for the activities.

“I’m very grateful to God, to the company Drummond Ltd., to our municipal mayor, to the community, and all of those who did their part to make this a reality. I never thought that, with the visit made by the six districts in the Caño Candela community Council last April 28, we would be able to achieve this. I invited the company to visit the school and take a look at its needs. Fortunately, the visit was productive and here we can see the results,” stated Maria Margarita Rivera, President of the Community Action Board in El Centro.