HONDURAS
SANTA BÁRBARA
307
Direct participants
Minas y Cuevas
International buyers have engaged in developing a community company and investing in improving organizational practices. Actors such as the Honduran-German center or the Ministry of Mines were essential for supporting the Minas y Cuevas mining organization.
Minas y Cuevas is a community mining company located in Macuelizo, Honduras made up of seven communities. Each community has a number of partners involved in various economic activities, some of them are dedicated to mining activity.
The Minas y Cuevas community mining company was created in response to the need of communities to better organize themselves, improve their working and safety conditions, get closer to local authorities, receive professional training, improve their practices and reduce the environmental impact of their activity.
The Alliance for Responsible Mining supported Minas y Cuevas between 2017 and 2019 in implementing the CRAFT Code by analyzing the risks that its community faced and creating a participatory improvement plan.
General objectives and achievements:
- Analyzing territorial, technical, legal and economic viability.
- Strengthening partnerships with the government to ensure the organization’s compliance with existing legislation.
- Promoting local business development.
- Developing environmental, social and technical skills and training. Improving mining practices and technical support at mine sites.
- Improving commercialization and sustainability practices.
Sustainable Development Goals we support in this project:
Achievements:
- Improving operations and internal organization by implementing coordinated processes, document control, records of mining activities, internal rules and business plans as well as the creation of a safety and health committee.
- Recognizing the work of Minas y Cuevas miners nationwide.
- Training in organizational and administrative matters to improve their processes as a company.
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- Reducing their environmental impact by eliminating the use of mercury and explosives in mineral extraction, managing solid waste and environmental issues by including new technology and learning more about the mineral deposit.
- Improving technical knowledge by promoting better use of tools and equipment and reviewing operational processes.
- Achieving improved safety, health and environmental conditions by introducing personal protection equipment and emergency plans, in addition to training and increased risk awareness and controls.
- Implementing a record-based traceability plan, supplier selection process, supporting documents and non-discriminatory and child labor-free work rules which provide differentiation, quality and transparency throughout the process.
- Supporting the definition of work units, which led to constant and stable production.
- Opening of the gravity plant at Minas y Cuevas. More information.
- Connecting with international markets committed to the further development of mining communities.
- Increasing training in foreign trade, negotiation and relationship with buyers.
- Improving relationships with buyers and trust between parties. International sales were made following the CRAFT Code, which resulted in a report that provides an overview of the status and efforts of the mining organization to address potential risks.
- Providing traceability training to the mining organization.
- Miners' visibility has increased thanks to:
- The participation of Minas y Cuevas in strategic spaces (Congress).
- Miners from Minas y Cuevas made direct contact with public officials.
- Support from the Honduran Institute of Geology and Mines (INGHEOMIN).
- Participatory communication has been promoted for miners to learn about the importance of internal and external communication for the community company.
- A communications committee was created to introduce the company. Training was provided to improve internal communication.
- A video has been recorded by organization members and miners to make their reality known.
- We worked on the organization’s CRAFT report together.
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