Junio 2012
In early June the “fair trade gold” committees of the Bolivian cooperatives Rayo Rojo and 15 de Agosto that are working to achieve the Fairtrade and Fairmined certification (FT&FM), visited the Peruvian companies Aurelsa – recently certified – and San Luis, located in the department of Ayacucho of their neighboring country. The visit was coordinated by Cumbre del Sajama, one of the Support Organizations in ARM´s local network.
The purpose of the visit was creating a space for expertise exchange in the field of gold exploitation in order to strengthen mutual support among miners in the artisanal and small scale mining (ASM) sector. Accompanied by the management in Aurelsa and San Luis, the Bolivian commission toured the areas, offices, and mines, where they learned about the details of the work carried out by the two Peruvian organizations that are recognized for their good management.
The Bolivian and Peruvian miners are committed to continue the consolidation process of artisanal and small scale mining that is environmentally and socially responsible, showing the feasibility of achieving sustainability and exceeding the stigma of bad practices of small-scale miners.