Sustainable development

School pupils outside one of the new buildings constructed by Anglo American employees, the Enrique Donn Müller School in Constitución

When disasters strike, communities pull together; it’s human nature. And so it proved when Chile – home of our copper business – was hit by a devastating earthquake and tsunami in February 2010. Large parts of the country were affected, homes were destroyed, livelihoods ruined and an infrastructure lay in tatters. The recovery time would be extensive.

As part of the community, we were quick to offer our assistance.

Within a week of the disaster we had committed $10 million to the country’s reconstruction and, just as importantly, a task force from the Chile office was on hand to provide practical on-the-ground support.

Having dispatched trucks and other items of essential equipment to help clear the debris in the hardest-hit south and central parts of the country, the task force soon realised that we could make a real difference by rebuilding the area’s schools. Working with government, local authorities and the national minister of education, the task force set about building and equipping six schools.

The schools were built with high quality materials resistant to extreme weather conditions, and the reconstruction programme included the provision of workshops, computer rooms, libraries, green spaces, play areas, furniture and learning materials. They were even equipped with kitchens – allowing them to become temporary centres for entire communities where people could come and receive at least one meal a day during the reconstruction.

Using a fast-assembly model, typically applied for on-site employee accommodation, we enabled more than 4,500 children and teachers to resume classes just three and a half months after the earthquake, providing a welcome symbol of recovery to the nation and ensuring the children did not miss their school year.