examples of csr projects in latin america · cocori who support the program with volunteers,...

Working with Communities Examples of CSR Projects in Latin America

So the world builds better.

Working with Communities

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Table of Contents

1 – Introduction to Corporate Citizenship at LafargeHolcim .. 3

2 – Costa Rica: Sign Up for the Environment – Municipal Waste Management Project ............................................................ 4

3 – El Salvador: Bringing Medical Care and Prevention to Remote Communities ........................................................... 6

4 – Regional Initiative: EnRed – Promoting Collaboration to Improve Social Investment .................................................. 8

5 – Brazil: Come to Transitolândia – Real-Life Road Safety Education for Children ........................................................ 10

6 – Ecuador: Supérate – Surpass Yourself as a Young Construction Professional ......................................................................... 12


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1 – Introduction to Corporate Citizenship at LafargeHolcim

Our Group Sustainability Strategy - The 2030 Plan - sets a vision that the construction sector of tomorrow will be innovative, climate-neutral and circular in its use of resources. It will be respectful of water and nature, and it will be inclusive, enhancing the quality of life for all. Our industrial operations have a wide geographical footprint and are usually present in a territory for an extended period of time. In addition, our cement, concrete and aggregates activities are all local businesses, where manufacturing is often close to the selling point and final customer. Therefore, our operations have an impact on local communities and people’s lives.

At LafargeHolcim, we believe this impact can be positive. We also think our solutions can provide answers to challenges affecting the communities where we operate, such as urbanization, housing needs, health & safety and human rights. This is why we set ambitious sustainability targets. By 2030, we want to help 75 million people live better lives through our inclusive business models, affordable housing and social investments programs. Our social investments are based on long-term strategies, implemented in partnership with specialized local or international actors, and address clear

needs in the communities where we operate. Our areas of focus include health, education, shelter and infrastructure, environment and local employment creation. Every day across 80 countries, LafargeHolcim teams contribute in many ways to turn the Group’s sustainable development commitments into real actions. On the following pages, examples of our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) projects in Middle East and Africa illustrate how we partner with local stakeholders to create shared value and contribute to the development of communities.


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2 – Costa Rica: Sign Up for the Environment – Municipal Waste Management Project Costa Rica is a natural paradise that has been internationally recognized for its extensive efforts in environmental protection. In spite of this, the country faces unsolved challenges in municipal waste management, for which Holcim in Cartago provides hands-on support. In a Nutshell Context San Francisco district in Cartago, where Holcim’s cement plant is located, is dealing with municipal waste management challenges as is almost all counties in Costa Rica. In spite of legal requirements introduced in 2010, official data reveals that only 1% of Costa Rica’s municipalities have recycling programs in place.

Main Actions In 2016, Holcim launched the monthly waste collection campaign Apuntados por el Ambiente (engl. signed up for the environment) to improve waste management in its communities. The program engages volunteers from Holcim and other organizations to collect and separate municipal waste. Ensuring a safe and environmentally-friendly disposal, the collected materials are recycled by a local company or co-processed by Geocycle, LafargeHolcim’s provider of sustainable waste management solutions. The campaign was first

implemented in Agua Caliente, where a local business provided the space to collect the waste, using supplies and logistics from the Holcim Institute for Sustainable Development. Since its launch, it has been further expanded, with three communities around the cement plant currently participating. Community Impact Since October 2016, around 20,000 people living in the targeted communities have benefited from the clean-up campaigns. So far, more than 15 tons of municipal waste have been collected and prevented from ending up in landfills or rivers. External Partners Holcim’s key partner is the National Institute for Mixed Social Aid (IMAS), who provides financial assistance to women from low-income households who get involved in the campaign. Equally important partners are local waste collection businesses, the community group PRODECAS, and local development associations like ASODIL and ADI COCORI who support the program with volunteers, materials and space.

Holcim and PRODECAS volunteers collect household waste from Cocorí.


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Tackling waste management for sustainable development According to the 11th State of the Nation Report, the management of solid waste has not yet been addressed in Costa Rica’s national development plan. Even though the country is known for its exemplary environmental protection policies, stringent laws, and payments for ecosystem services, challenges with appropriate waste management remain largely unsolved. As the daily amount of waste generated increases from year to year, Holcim’s waste management program in Cartago makes an important contribution to addressing this issue. Thanks to the active support of community members and Holcim volunteers, Apuntados por el Ambiente has become a well-established program that has gained widespread recognition in Cartago’s San Francisco district. Many residents retain their recyclable waste to dispose it through the collection campaign at the end of each month. The Cartago municipality also recognizes Holcim’s efforts, and has invited the company to participate in other community campaigns. For more information, refer to www.holcim.cr or contact [email protected].

In cooperation with Geocycle, Apuntados por el Ambiente also organizes door-to-door waste collection.

“Our dream is to change the behavior of our neighbors with regards to the way they buy, use and dispose materials. We want to become the first community in Costa Rica to have a full waste program including all kinds of materials. We want a sustainable community aware of its impact and assuming responsibility for environmental protection.” Hazel Orozco, volunteer from Cocorí community


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3 – El Salvador: Bringing Medical Care and Prevention to Remote Communities To improve communities’ access to medical care and support the prevention of diseases, Holcim El Salvador launched a community health program in 1997. Through a growing number of initiatives, Holcim provides medical care to over 8,000 people in 32 communities and improves its neighbors’ quality of life. In a Nutshell Context For the communities surrounding Holcim El Salvador’s operations in the canton of Tecomapa, Metapán, access to medical care was difficult due to both geographic and financial constraints. According to a needs assessment, the next health clinic was located at an average distance of 20 kilometers, and people’s quality of life was impaired by poor health and a lack of both disease prevention and treatment options.

Main Actions In 1997, Holcim El Salvador’s Cessa Foundation initiated its health program with the establishment of a community clinic located 500m from El Ronco cement plant. While Holcim provides the facilities, medical staff and equipment, the Ministry of Health provides free medicines to the clinic. In 2006, to expand the reach of the program, a mobile clinic in the form of an ambulance was added in partnership with the Ministry of Health. Since then, the community clinic opens three days a week, while the mobile

clinic travels to nearby communities on the other two days. Over the course of the years, Holcim’s Cessa Foundation added more health initiatives: it launched a permanent awareness campaign against dengue fever, Zika and Chickungunya in 2000, a school health program in 2007, specialized health days in 2011 and formed six health and safety committees to develop a preventive health program in 2016. Community Impact Holcim El Salvador’s healthcare program currently benefits over 8,000 residents in 32 communities. Every year, the health clinic offers more than 6,000 free consultations, and at least 8 specialized health days are carried out. Furthermore, the school health program monitors the physical development of students (size, weight, nutrition, health status, etc.) in 13 education centers.

The community clinic medical staff proudly presents its new ambulance.


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External Partners In addition to the Ministry of Health’s support for the community clinic, the health program is supported by the FUDEM foundation on the eye health days, and the fire brigade and civil police for the community and home safety education.

Raising awareness for prevention and early detection of diseases Holcim El Salvador’s health program is based on two main pillars: medical treatment and prevention. On the one hand, through the community and mobile health clinics, medical consultations are provided free of charge. On the other hand, to prevent the diseases that are often causing the need for treatment, educational talks are organized in the communities. Following a monthly plan of visits, 231 health talks were held in 2015 with topics such as breast cancer, dengue prevention, reproductive health, and healthy eating habits. To enable the early treatment of cervical cancer, the clinic also offers women the analysis of cytology samples. Educational programs at schools are also part of the preventive measures. During the visits, students benefit from medical and dental check-ups, weight control, and receive deworming medicine and vitamins.

In addition to improving community members’ health, the program allows Holcim El Salvador to create room for a natural and steady interaction with its neighboring communities, and obtain inputs for the continuous improvement of community relationships.

For more information, refer to www.holcim.com.sv or contact [email protected].

Community members receive medical assistance at the El Ronco community clinic.

“Now we do not have to travel large distances to receive medical attention and medications anymore, we are happy and grateful for this program.” Roxana Torres, resident of Tecomapa


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4 – Regional Initiative: EnRed – Promoting Collaboration to Improve Social Investment The regional sustainability initiative EnRed was launched in 2014 to promote collaboration and increase the effectiveness of LafargeHolcim’s social investment practices in Latin America. Rolled out in eight countries, EnRed empowers local grassroots organizations and supports the financing and development of social projects. In a Nutshell Context Even though the region’s CSR teams already had a lot of experience in implementing social projects through their company foundations, there was a need to intensify regional collaboration and promote learning from each other’s experiences. Through a better aligned methodology and social investment strategy, the positive impact of projects should be amplified.

Main Actions Coordinated by the Holcim Foundation in Colombia, EnRed was established in 2014 as a 5-year strategic alliance with the InterAmerican Foundation and RedEAmérica. To improve the effectiveness of countries’ CSR programs, EnRed facilitates cooperation among all organizations and supports complementary activities. The process was launched with the creation of a common methodology to address the social needs at the base of the pyramid. The partners also set up a fund in which they invested over 1,78 million USD to finance grassroots development projects in all participating countries.

Community Impact In the first phase of the program, EnRed was rolled out in Argentina, Ecuador, Brazil and Colombia. In these countries; 29 grassroots organizations benefited from capacity building sessions in

administrative and financial project management, knowledge management, the formation of strategic alliances and mobilization of resources;

12 new community projects were approved by the EnRed donation fund and started their implementation phase;

380 people benefited directly and 1,400 people benefited indirectly. In the second phase, the program will be rolled out in Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Mexico, targeting at least 32 additional community organizations and 2,500 people.

Internal and External Partners The project is a collaborative initiative of LafargeHolcim, Holcim Ecuador and the company foundations in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Mexico and Nicaragua in partnership with the InterAmerican Foundation (IAF) and RedEAmérica.


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Received an EnRed grant: the Asoprovinos Sheep Farmers’ Association of Tundama and Sugamuxy.

In 2016, 12 local grassroots organizations received an EnRed grant. Among the winners was the Colombian sheep farmers’ association Asoprovinos, which seeks to improve the quality of life of its members through the sale of sheep products. With EnRed’s support, the association will increase the production of animal feed and herd fertility, promote the consumption of lamb meat in the region and ensure environmental sustainability.

Milestones In 2016, EnRed was awarded the Premio del Centro Mexicano de Filantropia CEMEFI in the category “Community Relations” and received an internal recognition for exceptional sustainability performance from the LafargeHolcim Group.

The EnRed approach: empowering local organizations

The EnRed approach consists of four stages: 1. Identification: Socioeconomic mapping of each location’s communities and grassroots organizations; 2. Empowerment: Providing capacity building sessions to selected organizations; 3. Implementation: Financing and supporting grassroots development projects in the area of education and income generation through the EnRed fund; 4. Dissemination: Promoting the EnRed social investment methodology among the corporate organizations, development agencies, and NGOs in the region.

The learnings, challenges and results of the EnRed initiative will be systematized and disseminated to all 80 corporate organizations that are members of RedEAmérica.

For more information, visit www.fundacionsocialholcimcolombia.org or contact [email protected].


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5 – Brazil: Come to Transitolândia – Real-Life Road Safety Education for Children To improve the safety of school children living near critical transportation routes, Holcim Brazil created Transitolândia, a real-life road safety education space in the city of Barroso. Supported by company volunteers, the project teaches children about traffic rules and safe behaviors in a practical and playful way. In a Nutshell Context According to local media, the number of vehicles in Barroso had increased by 100% between 2003-2013, leading to severe traffic congestion and an increased number of accidents. With the expansion of Holcim’s Barroso cement plant in 2011, a temporary but large further increase in population and vehicles on the roads was expected.

Main Actions In 2014, Holcim Brazil, the Holcim Institute and the City of Barroso created Transitolândia (engl. traffic land), a real-life road safety education space for children. Composed of cycle paths, it is a miniature reproduction of a real traffic landscape with streets, intersections and traffic signs. Over 50 Holcim volunteers provided hands-on support to set up the space on Gisela Coutinho Square, a green area in the city of

Barroso. Targeting children between 8 and 12 years, Transitolândia was visited by many local schools. Each visit lasts about 3 hours, starting with a theoretical class on accident prevention and traffic safety taught by Holcim volunteers. In the second part of the visit, the students put the newly acquired knowledge into practice by cycling the streets of Transitolândia, and receive a mini driver's license after completing training. Community Impact With Transitolândia, a permanent physical space was created to promote traffic education and teach children safe behaviors in a playful way. In 2014, 97 Holcim employees and partners volunteered a total of 776 hours to implement Transitolândia, which was visited by 320 children. The project also promoted the inclusion of road safety in schools’ pedagogical plan, and reopened discussions in the city council and municipal government. External Partners Transitolândia was implemented in partnership with the City of Barroso’s Ministry of Education, responsible for the organization of school visits and transportation of students, and the Military Police, which provided support in class instruction.

Mobile Transitolândia visits local schools.


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For Transitolândia volunteer Cristiane Aparecida do Nascimento, it is fundamental to teach road safety for children from an early age: "By educating the children we can change the future. Everything is being taught here in a dynamic way, with joy and play, which makes it easier for the children to remember the lessons in their daily life and pass the knowledge on to their families and friends.”

Bringing Mobile Transitolândia to children all over Brazil

Relying on roads for the transportation of our products, LafargeHolcim wants to contribute to the safety of communities that live near our transportation routes. Transitolândia’s objective is to raise school children’s awareness for the importance of respecting traffic rules and preventing accidents. The initiative follows a proposal by the United Nations’ #SaveKidsLives campaign, which was launched in response to the over 500 children killed on the world's roads daily and which aims to halve children’s road deaths by 2020. To expand the geographical reach of Transitolândia’s road safety education, a mobile version of the project is currently being implemented in eight LafargeHolcim sites in Brazil. In 2018, the program will be further expanded to neighboring municipalities.

Mobile Transitolândia consists of: • 96m2 canvas printed with streets,

traffic signs and pedestrian crossings • School teachers preparing the topic

with their students, e.g. by creating car, bike and motorcycle costumes

• Holcim’s health & safety specialists train employees to become road safety instructors

• Holcim volunteers visit schools located in a radius of 50km from our sites

For more information, visit www.institutoholcim.org or contact [email protected].

School children participate in a real-life road safety class in Transitolândia, city of Barroso.

mailto:[email protected]


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6 – Ecuador: Supérate – Surpass Yourself as a Young Construction Professional In response to Ecuador’s growing demand for youth employment and need for qualified labor in the construction sector, Holcim Ecuador implemented Supérate, a vocational training program for young masons. The program aims to enhance participants’ employability by improving both their technical and business skills.

In a Nutshell Context There are more than 262,000 masons in Ecuador, most of which start working at an early age and abandon their studies to earn money, which generates strong knowledge gaps. Furthermore, according to the Ministry of Labor, it is estimated that nearly 15,000 children work in Ecuador’s construction sector.

Main Actions Disensa and the Holcim Ecuador Foundation developed Supérate, a vocational training program targeting young people between 17 and 27 years. Over a period of seven months, the program encompasses 28 training sessions structured into eight modules. It follows a learning-by-doing approach and improves not only technical skills such as the building of structural elements and masonry, but also transversal issues like psychosocial

competences, administration or workplace safety. To ensure participants’ continuous attendance in the program, additional social support is provided and the training schedule is adapted to each locality’s context.

Community Impact Since its launch in 2014, Supérate had 237 graduates in five localities. The participants improved their technical skills in construction, teamwork, safety practices, and use of materials, increasing their employment possibilities in any location. The program enjoys a high recognition in the communities where it is implemented, and half of the graduates now successfully work in construction.

External Partners The program created alliances between various public and private actors, including the Holcim Ecuador Foundation, Disensa, the Ministry of Labor and the Ecuadorian Service for Professional Training (SECAP). Together, the partners developed the curriculum and training materials, and ensure that the necessary financial resources, training staff, facilities and equipment are available.

Hands-on masons training in the Supérate program.

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Adding value for both the business and the community As part of its CSR, Holcim Ecuador seeks to improve the quality of life of their stakeholders. This includes better access and quality of knowledge of their end users, promoting at the same time the eradication of child labor in the construction sector. As many young people are interested in acquiring formal education in construction, Supérate seeks to train and certify young people with an entrepreneurial vision, so that they can contribute, through their knowledge, to the development of their homes, communities, and country. Supérate was first designed in the form of a public-private partnership between the Holcim Ecuador Foundation, Ministry of Labor and Disensa, Holcim’s construction materials franchise stores. Holcim Employees actively support the training as volunteers, passing on their knowledge to participants in the construction safety module. In addition to learning about the safety and protection processes linked to the construction works and use of materials, Supérate provides a space to reflect on everybody’s personal responsibility for the safety of the group and the final construction works. For more information, refer to

www.holcim.com.ec or contact [email protected].

Off to new horizons - graduation ceremony of the first group of Supérate participants.

Supérate is an example of Inclusive Business (IB), which “expands the opportunities of people living in poverty by tailoring part of the core business, to their needs. (…) IB circumvents existing market failures and inefficiencies to integrate the poor, either on the demand side as clients or on the supply side as distributors, suppliers of goods and services, or employees” (GIZ, 2013). In this way, it creates social and commercial value at the same time.

mailto:[email protected]


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LafargeHolcim Ltd Zürcherstrasse 156 8645 Jona Switzerland www.lafargeholcim.com/sustainable-development [email protected] © 2017 LafargeHolcim Ltd

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