Barrick Beyond Borders - May 2012 - Barrick Gold Corporation

A WORKER PUTS FINISHING TOUCHES ON A NEWCOMMUNITY CENTER IN PIEDRA BLANCA.RIGHT: WOMEN IN A BARRICK-FUNDEDCOMMUNITY CENTER IN THE TOWN OF TOCOASEW SAFETY VESTS USED BY WORKERS ATPUEBLO VIEJO.Key funding for the MDPs is provided by PVDC and theCanadian Embassy in the Dominican Republic through itsCanadian Fund for Local Initiatives. In 2011, $4.7 million wasset aside for MDP projects, $3.6-million of which came fromPVDC.Barrick, as well as other large and small companies across theMDP communities, also contributes by providing supplies and,in some cases labor, towards the projects. For instance, Barrickprovided $100,000 and 400 bags of cement to help build fourmunicipal projects in the town of Cevicos in Sánchez Ramírezprovince. Other local entrepreneurs and community institutionscontributed with labor and other supplies.Once Pueblo Viejo begins commercial production, additionalfunding will flow to the communities, as the nationalgovernment will provide five percent of the tax revenue paid bythe mine to communities in Pueblo Viejo’s area of influence.Overall, there are hundreds of infrastructure projects invarious stages of development in dozens of communities aroundthe Pueblo Viejo project.Some of the biggest projects by dollar value were constructedin the municipality of Maimón in the central part of the country.PVDC contributed a total of $673,000 to help build muchneededsidewalks and curbs in three neighborhoods: Angelita,Los Coquitos and Los Martinez. PVDC also contributed$195,000 to help build a municipal vendor market in the municipalityof Fantino, and another $210,000 towards the paving ofroads in the neighborhood of San Rafael in the municipality ofPiedra Blanca.These projects were adopted as part of the MDP programbecause they represent long-standing needs of the localcommunities that have been considered a priority, in some casesfor more than 20 years, according to Angeles-Lithgow.While the MDPs are the centerpiece of PVDC’s CSR program,the company’s community responsibility initiatives are notconfined to the six municipalities that have adopted MDPs.PVDC also contributes to infrastructure projects in othermunicipalities near Pueblo Viejo and works closely with them tohelp foster local development.For instance, one recently completed project was the constructionof the Mabi Bridge over the Banilejo River in themunicipality of Rancho Arriba. The 24-meter long, 6.5-meterwide structure helped ease the passage between the town ofSan Jose de Ocoa and Piedra Blanca, a long-standing bottleneckin the area. The work, which includes two pedestrian walkways,cost $190,000.“Our goal is to help empower the authorities and communitiesto implement and manage sustainable development initiativesthat continue long after our mine stops operating,” Manzanosays. “We’re going to be here for 25 years, perhaps longer, butthis is their home.” ■10May 2012