Newmont Mining Corporation

Newmont released the findings and recommendations from a study of its security procedures and practices at the Yanacocha mine in Peru. These findings were evaluated based on the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights, to which Yanacocha is a signatory, as well as all national and international complementary regulations.

Adapted from Beyondthemine.com

Many educational experts believe that promoting an entrepreneurial culture among youth is the basis for creating a future society capable of sustainable economic growth.

Throughout the world, organizations are promoting an entrepreneurial culture among schoolchildren. This culture enables children to gain the confidence and ability to create their own business and also, in a broader sense, to take charge of their own futures and share in the responsibility of community development.

In Peru, the Asociación Los Andes de Cajamarca (ALAC), the Junior Achievement Internacional Peru, and Ferreyros SAA and Buenaventura Ingenieros SA (BISA) signed an agreement to establish a strategic alliance to co-finance and execute the "Creation of Young Entrepreneurs in Cajamarca."

Newmont's Yanacocha operation founded ALAC in 2004 to provide an organization that would be representative of both the community and company to provide a broad range of activities to facilitate and support long-term economic development of the region during, and very importantly, after the mine closes.

ALAC, along with its partners, is supporting the "Creation of Young Entrepreneurs in Cajamarca" program to promote an entrepreneurial attitude, a better understanding of the free market economy, and career possibilities among the schoolchildren of the region. Junior Achievement Internacional Perú is administering the three-year program with a budget of US$429,675, targeting 11,000 schoolchildren from public and private schools in the province.

Despite the many benefits mining has brought to the Cajamarca region, ALAC is working to overcome several issues that continue to impede further economic development. For example, agriculture, the primary industry in the area after mining, faces challenges related to the division of land, poor-quality soil and lack of irrigation water. These issues make it even more important to support the entrepreneurial drive of young people so the economy can continue to grow and diversify.

At a time when jobs losses and economic woes are mounting around the world, 18 workers at Newmont's Yanacocha mine in Peru spent four months of their free time late last year to deliver a message of peace and reflection to nearby rural communities - through their play, A Merry Christmas in Cajamarca.

"Our objective was to promote culture in the communities near Yanacocha and transmit a message of peace and reflection for Christmas," said Carla Díaz, external communications chief. "We hoped to strengthen the bridges of friendship with our neighbors and to improve our communication with them."

The theatrical display was adapted from the classic production of A Christmas Carol, and was taken on the road to numerous rural communities. In the story, Alvarín Moro, owner of a grocery store, did not celebrate Christmas due to his bitter life, selfishness and misery. One day, Alvarín is visited by three ghosts representing the past, present and future. Each ghost showed him scenes of his past life, present life and future life if he continued living with this attitude

Finally, Alvarín woke up from his nightmare, reflected about it and became a generous man who found the real meaning of Christmas.

Productions like this are not found in the Peruvian countryside. As a result, villagers flocked to the shows early to find good seats and became swept by the magical world of theater. After the show made its debut in December, the cast performed to overflow crowds in Porcón Alto, Granja Porcón, Río Grande, Huacataz and Combayo. In Combayo alone, it was necessary to schedule a second show for more than the 1,000 attendees who could not see the first performance.

Adapted from Beyondthemine.com

The Minera Yanacocha mine in northern Peru has had a history of aggressive confrontations between local communities and our security personnel. In 2007, the Regional Director of Security, Lee Langston, decided to try a new approach to reduce the violent conflict that was occurring with more frequency.

To build and nurture more personal relationships with nearby communities, the mine's security personnel and its contract security provider, FORZA, started to organize weekend community festivals. Partnering with Cajamarca businesses and community organizations, the group of more than 30 security staff coordinated much-appreciated entertainment and civic services for these isolated communities.

The carnival atmosphere they created featured musical bands, a cultural dance troop performing Andean folk dances, and even an interactive children's show involving a clown and his assistant. They organized soccer games, with community teams taking on the visitors. The security team and their families also prepared and served lunch to each community they visited.

Additionally, businesses and organizations from the regional city of Cajamarca volunteered their services for these community events. Employees from the police health unit conducted lectures on family planning, spousal abuse and hygiene. A prominent dental office provided free fluoride treatment, toothbrushes and toothpaste to 100 children during one visit. Even barbers offered free haircuts.

Initially, these events were held in communities with whom the mine had a positive relationship. As the security team gained confidence, they moved to communities that had previously engaged in conflict - including Combayo, Quishuar and Hualtipampa.

"Although the social conflicts still exist," Langston said, "we are seeing it manifest in more peaceful ways. Community authorities and Rondas leaders (community security forces) are now talking with us. We recognize each other along the road and engage in cordial conversation. We understand that building trust will take a long time."

The change of attitude also has affected mine's security personnel.

"When we first began this program, security supervisors were skeptical and fearful to enter the communities due to their involvement in past incidents," Langston said. "Today, they argue over who gets to coordinate the next event."

These low-profile events are not promoted. They are purely about building relationships in the hope that grievances and conflicts can be expressed and resolved peacefully. Due to the success of the initial program, Yanacocha's security department has incorporated the visits into its management plan and held several community visits in 2008.

Minera Yanacocha conducts a health program in coordination with the Peruvian Ministry of Health to provide more than 30,000 inhabitants of neighboring communities with better access to health services. Together, we have equipped health centers, developed training programs, appointed health officials, launched awareness programs, held health fairs, and implemented preventive health and vaccination campaigns.