Morro Velho supports the Management
Development Technical School in Nova Lima, and funds 20 scholarships
for indigent members of the community.
Morro Velho has built the ultra-modern
Reference Centre for Pneumology, which provides quality medical care
to former employees suffering from silicosis.
Case studies South America
7.7 Reaching
out from Morro Velho
The Morro Velho mine, in Brazil?s Minas Gerais
state, is a 100-year old mine that is an integral part of the
community that surrounds it. The examples below are just some of the
initiatives and partnerships undertaken by the company.
Extending quality health care
In extending health services, community
partnerships are essential. AngloGold has donated hospital
equipment, including an intensive care unit, which serves a
population of approximately 91,000 people. Adjoining the local
hospital the company has built the ultra-modern Reference Centre for
Pneumology which provides quality medical care to former employees
suffering from silicosis (See case
study in health section of this report). In addition the Centre
is open to partnerships with universities and research centres, with
the purpose of developing studies relating to lung diseases.
Support for education
The company has maintained its support for the
Management Development Technical School in Nova Lima, funding 20
scholarships for indigent members of the community. The school
focuses on intermediate education, and developing entrepreneurial
skills among teenagers. Courses offered include languages (English
and Spanish), computer science, business administration and finance.
Morro Velho offers 20 scholarships for needy students. In addition,
two-month probationary training sessions are provided to students
at the end of each course and, as a result, 28 students have been
recruited to the company since July 2001.
Additionally, Morro Velho?s employees have benefited from a
scholarship programme which has reached 110 people who pursue a
number of skills-enhancing courses, from English language courses
through to undergraduate courses, to MBA courses.
Rising to the environmental challenge
AngloGold works with the local environmental
authorities and the Public Ministry in monitoring old tailings
dumps.
As a further service to employees and the community, the company?s
Harry Oppenheimer Environmental Education Centre offers courses to
employees on the environmental technology adopted at the operations.
More than 9,000 members of the community visited the centre during
the past year, while 3,000 students took part in programmes designed
to foster greater environmental awareness. Another environmental
education centre is currently being established in the region of
Santa Barbara at a cost of US$68,000. (See
case study in the environmental section of this report).
Highly beneficial waste sorting programmes have been implemented at
the operations. Part of the material gathered is sold or sent to
companies with the necessary accreditation to dispose or recycle the
materials. Paper and plastic, on the other hand is passed on to
recycling groups helping to generate income and create jobs in
desperately poor communities. During 2002 alone, some 19,110
kilograms of material were recycled.
Industrial theatre shows are used in the communities to communicate
specific messages about potentially hazardous environmental
conditions. Twenty two families, previously living in close
proximity to Morro Velho?s sludge ditches, have been relocated to
better living conditions in Sao Sabastiao.
Morro Velho participates in a forum which is looking at revitalising
the Das Velhas River, which receives a large volume of industrial
residue. Morro Velho has allocated approximately US$54,000 to the
project.
Earning community respect
Morro Velho has played a driving role in the
government and private sector initiative undertaken, under the
auspices of the Nova Lima Municipal Development Agency. The aim is
to attract and ensure the viability of the community once mining
activities in the area have ceased. Over the past five years this
initiative has attracted more than 50 new business enterprises to
the region, that have the potential to generate 4,500 new jobs.