Señor de Mayo BOLIVIA

Señor de MayoBOLIVIALocationThe Cooperative Señor de Mayo Ltd. is located in the community of Putina in thedistrict of Yani in the Municipality of Sorata in the Larecaja province of the departmentof La Paz. The mountainous area is characterized by its deep valleys and its high snowcoveredpeaks. This place is considered one of the richest gold deposits of Bolivia,reason why thousands of miners arrive in search of work opportunities.OrganisationThe Cooperative Señor deMayo was founded in 1999and at the moment it has 40members, of which 11 arewomen. A democraticallyelected Board directs theactivities of the cooperative;this body is changed at leastevery two years.The community of thecooperative consists of thefamilies of partners andworkers who depend directlyon the mining; the numberof inhabitants is about 100people.ProductionSome years ago thecooperative purchased themachinery and put theprocessing plant intooperation, thanks to theeconomic contribution of allpartners.The cooperative made theseinvestments withoutreceiving any technicalassistance and only with theempirical knowledgeacquired throughout theyears of work.The monthly production isbetween 500 and 1000grams of gold.

AchievementsPartners and workersestablished a camp whereminers and their familieslive. They also managed theacquisition of electricalenergy, which significantlyimproved their quality oflife.ChallengesThe main challenges relate tothe administrativestrengthening, mainly in thecommercialization of gold, thepayment of royalties andtaxes, and also exporting theproduction. It is also necessaryto work in strengtheningenvironmental managementpractices, emphasizing theimportance of proper handlingand use of mercury.At the same time, there is thenecessity to impel alternativeactivities for women, whocould form micro-enterprisesin agriculture, cattle or otherparallel alternatives to mining.Our proposalThe gap analysis performed with the Señor de Mayo Cooperative against the Fairtrade and Fairminedstandards indicates that the following areas need to be addressed in order to reach the certification: Environmental: training of partners and mining workers in environmental issues, with specialemphasis on the proper use of mercury. Economic: establishing a more efficient route of commercialization that would improve thecooperative’s income and generate the payment of royalties and taxes for the municipality. Social: Implementation of productive activities parallel to the mining, aimed at women who livein the mining camp, for alternative income generation.ESTIMATED PROJECT DURATION OF 15 MONTHS