Minera Aurífera Cuatro de Enero Sociedad Anónima: MACDESA
Minera Aurífera Cuatro de Enero S.A. – MACDESA is a mining organization located half a kilometer from the Centro Poblado menor Cuatro Horas (Arequipa), founded as a result of the intense mining activity in the area. This town is home to the miners, their families and the partners.
THE ROLE OF THE MINE IN THE LOCAL COMMUNITY
In July of 2015, the Centro Poblado menor Cuatro Horas suffered the effects of an enormous fire that, although no human lives were lost, caused substantial material losses and destroyed approximately 90% of the houses in the town. This led a large number of villagers to relocate to a new settlement in the so-called “Asociación de Vivienda Cuatro Horas de Huara” located 6 kilometers from the company’s operations. This new town is home to around 500 families. After the accident, MACDESA provided support for those affected by assisting with the relocation, feeding needs and installation of emergency tents.
MACDESA since its inception has provided the community with basic services such as electric lighting, water supplies and health services through the company’s nursing station which is available to everyone. Similarly, the organization supports the education of the workers’ children by partnering with local schools and hiring teachers.
The 329 partners and 91 employees of the company benefit from MACDESA’s activities and contribute their work and ideas to the sustainable development of the mining operations and its surroundings.
As an example, the mining organization has made substantial improvements in the housing conditions of workers through the recent construction of a new mining camp that, when added to the existing social and rest spaces, provides a greater level of comfort.
OPERATION PROCESSES
All of MACDESA’s mining and site operations are part of the Fairmined Production System. Every day, before the start of work, employees receive a safety briefing with the aim of having an incident free workday. All workers use appropriate safety equipment as intended, whether in the mine, the plant or the laboratory.
The determination, perseverance and vision of MACDESA partners, executives and workers, together with solid corporate, social, and environmental responsibility, have allowed the organization to grow through the sustainable increase of its production.
THE ROLE OF THE WOMEN MINERS (PALLAQUERAS)
The Association of Seleccionadoras de Mineral de Cuatro Horas operates within the mining rights of MACDESA organization. This association of women is made up of 48 members, who live in the region. Their job is to select material from among the debris that the miners remove from the mine which contains ore and still has a gold value. This demands arduous work and great attention to detail.
Despite carrying out its activities within the area of mining rights of the company, Peruvian legislation does not yet have regulations for the work performed by the women sorters, which currently makes it impossible to contract, and consequently, impossible to introduce it into the production system of MACDESA. However, the company has made a series of agreements for the improvement of the sorters working conditions and the professionalization of their work, such as the determination of working hours and work areas, the construction of a mineral collection center and the implementation of personal protective equipment for them.
It is also planned that a portion of the Fairmined Premium to be received by the organization (Fairmined certified gold sales will bring a Premium of up to $4,000 USD per kilo) will be invested to improve the working conditions of the sorters and support them in the construction of a company that will provide services to the organization itself and the community.
Quick Facts
Number of MACDESA partners: 325 men and 4 women
Workers: 85 men and 6 women
Type of Mining: Hard rock
Fairmined certification date: May 2017