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AES Changuinola is aware of the commitment
it has with the socio-economic development of the Province of Bocas del
Toro and especially with the communities located near our operations,
and this will determine the essence of its operations. Because of this,
since 2006 we have made a significant number of donations to the tune of
approximately one and a half million dollars. All of these efforts have
been geared toward strengthening mainly the areas of education,
training, sports and construction of infrastructure, and safety measures
that translated into the welfare and a better quality of life for our
neighbors.
Safety and Health
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Protection to the community
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Work-related safety
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Occupational Health
AES Changuinola is aware of
the fact that one of the main factors ensuring project sustainability,
in the adequate functioning of its operations, is having in place good
safety practices. In this regard, the commitment of our company goes
beyond procuring a safe work environment for our employees. We also
seek to create the necessary conditions for adequately protecting our
neighbors.
Externally, AES Changuinola has implemented a large number
of actions ranging from placing appropriate project signs to appointing
Pedestrian Safety Officials, who are community residents. Their mission
is to protect pedestrians as well as direct the movement of equipment
and pedestrians in order to avoid accidents. Orientation lectures are
also given on such issues as safety for children and youngsters through
a school training program.
In order to solve the transportation
problem AES Changuinola has contracted transportation service providers
who transport residents and students free of charge between Valle de Rey
and El Nance de Riscó, near the project, from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
This represents a great benefit for members of the community who in the
past were forced to walk 3 to 4 hours to reach government utilities,
hospitals, and schools as well as other facilities in the rest of the
province. Construction of a pedestrian walkway for children and area
residents has also started, enabling them to move about far from
construction equipment.
In the meantime, the company maintains strict
compliance with international industrial safety standards. It also has
different programs in place including: internal inspections, internal
and external audits, and of course ongoing training for personnel. All
of these efforts are geared toward addressing the issue of industrial
safety in a comprehensive manner, facilitating decision-making at the
workplace.
Regarding the issue of occupational health, the company has
emphasized preventive and remedial services for its employees, through
such programs as: vaccination and fumigation among others. In addition,
as part of this, resources are earmarked for assisting residents facing
emergencies in nearby communities.
Support to improvement of access to
health services
For AES Changuinola, ensuring access to health basic
services for the communities neighboring the project is a priority.
That is why in October of 2006 the company signed an agreement with the
Ministry of Health (MINSA) whereby it pledged to invest 95 thousand
dollars to renovate the Valle Riscó Health Center as well as to provide
new medical equipment. This facility thus became the new Rural Valle
Riscó Hospital. Moreover, the agreement also provides for the future
construction of two smaller Health Centers that will benefit the
communities of Guayacán and El Guabo and a health post in Bajo Culubre,
which will be available for residents of that area.
In addition, the
company has provided assistance in several health sector-related
activities which include air transportation support for medical visits
to remote locations, donations to cover medical expenses, and assistance
in urgent transportation for over 50 medical emergencies. All of the
aforementioned contributions to the health sector have been estimated at
185 thousands dollars in 2007.
Other health-related measures include
the construction of a power line in the community of Nance de Riscó.
Job generation and education
The company has contributed in many
ways to reduce poverty in the area and one of these has been through the
creation of local jobs and enhancing education.
The training program
that started in 2006 in conjunction with INADEH has benefited over 800
people in neighboring communities: Charco La Pava, Valle del Rey,
Guayabal, Changuinola Arriba, Nance de Riscó and Valle Riscó, among
others. By donating over 185 thousand dollars in 2007 to the
aforementioned communities, AES Changuinola has enhanced their access to
education and training through scholarships for high school and college
studies, as well as the vocational training project in such areas as
covering with mortar, masonry, carpentry, electricity, welding,
dressmaking, and cooking.
All of the aforementioned training efforts
have been key to promoting the development of competencies that will
facilitate access to job opportunities in the Province of Bocas del
Toro. Consequently, given the success of this project, a similar
investment has been allocated to this area in 2008. In figures:
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80% of the staff hired for the first stages of the works of
the AES Changuinola Hydro Power Plant Project comes from Bocas del Toro.
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854 people have been trained and certified in 14 courses
taught by INADEH.
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6 new classrooms for the Nance de Riscó
school.
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250 scholarships for high school and college students.
Construction of infrastructure
Following the signing of agreements
among AES Changuinola, government authorities, and local leaders from
Bocas del Toro, and with the participation of the communities affected
by the project, improvements works are underway for such infrastructure
as roads to production areas, schools, water lines, sidewalks, health
centers, bridges, community house. These projects have an estimated
cost of 685 thousand dollars. Among the main infrastructure projects
underway are:
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Improvements to the Elementary School of the
community of Nance de Riscó. It includes six new classrooms, science
labs, computer labs, principal’s office, and school dining facility.
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Water line, in Nance de Riscó, with a storage tank for 20,000
gallons of water.
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Construction of Zarso Bridge. It is a
pedestrian suspension bridge built over the Riscó River, which will
facilitate communication among the communities.
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Construction
of roads: Construction of roads providing access to the communities of
Nance de Riscó, for the benefit of residents in that remote location.
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Installation of power lines.
Coordination for the
establishment of health centers
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Construction of a Health Center in
the community of Valle de Riscó. Among the facilities this project
contemplates are a newborn ward, infirmary, sterilization room, puerperium room, and a power generator.
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Construction of two Smaller
Health Centers that will Benedit the communities of Guayacán and El
Guabo.
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Construction of a health post, located in Bajo Culubre.
Donations to Sports activities
Through the sports promotion program
carried out by the company with a donation of 72 thousand dollars in
2007, the development of young athletes has been strengthened in the
Province of Bocas del Toro. This program has benefited children,
youngsters, and adults, as the company has sponsored the major league
baseball team and the youth league baseball team as well as community
league baseball teams. In 2007, the company formalized its commitment
to sponsor the major league and youth league baseball teams for a period
of five years with a donation of 80 thousand dollars per year.
Community investments
In addition, as part of its commitment with the
communities neighboring the Project, AES Changuinola has also
collaborated with different requests made by residents of nearby
communities, among which are providing transportation, donation of food
supplies, fairs, which have been assisted and paid for by our company.
Said donation in 2007 was approximately 64 thousand dollars.
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