GENTE MOTIVANDO GENTE MAGAZINE – MAY 15, 2026
Minera San Cristóbal’s community management approach promotes sustainable development by building local capacities, fostering strong partnerships, and delivering measurable results in education, healthcare, environmental stewardship, and the local economy.
Minera San Cristóbal S.A. (MSC) reaffirms its commitment to a social and environmental management model that prioritizes dialogue, shared responsibility, and capacity building throughout its direct area of influence. At MSC, sustainability is translated into plans, agreements, and measurable actions that strengthen local development over the long term, with a strong focus on basic services, education, and impact mitigation, reinforcing relationships built on trust and collaboration. A key driver of this territorial approach is the Los Lípez–San Cristóbal Advisory Council, which coordinates long-term social and productive initiatives across the region.
This commitment is also reflected in strategic social investment. During 2025, MSC invested more than Bs 6.3 million in projects focused on technical assistance, stakeholder engagement, impact mitigation, basic services, education, healthcare, and productive development, with the goal of strengthening local capacities and achieving measurable outcomes throughout the region.
When productive development succeeds, the results are evident on the ground: stronger organizations, better tools, and greater opportunities for local families. In 2025, MSC supported projects related to quinoa production, camelid farming, vicuña conservation, and tourism, complemented by technical training and strategic partnerships.
In quinoa production, technical assistance and operational planning were strengthened, while a comprehensive value chain study was completed to provide key inputs for future decision-making. At the same time, partnerships were established with public and private organizations—including Orkidea Andina, PROCAMQUI, IRUPANA Andean Foods, Mundo Orgánico, and the Colcha K Municipal Government—to implement a program featuring pilot greenhouses, fertigation systems, and the joint acquisition of an optical grain sorting machine.
In the camelid sector, through APROSAC, technical and commercial operations at the slaughtering and processing facilities continued successfully. During 2025, 397 llamas were processed, producing 1,442 kilograms of charque (traditional dried meat), as well as premium meat cuts and camelid sausages, strengthening a local value-added production chain that gained visibility and recognition at departmental and national trade fairs.
In vicuña conservation, theoretical and practical training workshops and field campaigns enhanced local capabilities. Despite adverse weather conditions, activities were successfully carried out in 10 of the 18 planned communities, where 569 vicuñas were shorn, producing 136.9 kilograms of raw fiber in full compliance with animal welfare standards.
In tourism, a specialized value chain study guided efforts to strengthen skills in customer service, social media management, handicrafts, specialized gastronomy—including barista training and artisanal ice cream production—and soft skills, with particularly strong participation by women entrepreneurs.
Development is also measured through tangible opportunities for people: education that creates pathways to employment, healthcare that protects communities, and prevention that strengthens resilience. During 2025, MSC expanded the reach of its social initiatives together with the Advisory Council and strategic partners.
In education, one of the year’s key milestones was the graduation of 118 mid-level technical professionals in five specializations through the San Cristóbal Alternative Education Center (CEA), strengthening competencies in production and processing, gastronomy, and textile-related fields. MSC also supported formal education by providing specialized teachers and awarded 15 scholarships to outstanding high school graduates to pursue higher education.
In healthcare, MSC implemented the “Health, Rights, and Empowerment of Adolescents and Women” project in partnership with UNFPA. This initiative successfully accredited the Comprehensive Adolescent Care Program (AIDA) at the health centers of San Cristóbal and Río Grande, while also establishing Comprehensive Student Support Offices (GAIE) in the schools of San Cristóbal, Culpina K, Vila Vila, and Río Grande. Additional initiatives included multi-program community fairs and oral healthcare campaigns.
Complementing these efforts, a competitive financing fund established in partnership with PRODEM and the Advisory Council approved and disbursed 23 loans totaling Bs 1,014,580 to support local entrepreneurs in San Cristóbal, Culpina K, and Vila Vila.
Community environmental management also remains an integral part of MSC’s day-to-day work. In collaboration with environmental committees and local authorities, the company recorded an average waste generation rate of 24.9 kg per person per month in 2025, strengthened PET bottle collection by baling 4,623 kilograms and selling 650 kilograms for recycling, promoted the use of reusable eco-friendly bags, and advanced initiatives related to water management and green spaces, expanding vegetation coverage to 7 hectares through new plantations and improved irrigation systems.
Through a management approach based on shared responsibility, careful planning, and collaborative work, Minera San Cristóbal continues to strengthen its contribution to local development through projects that generate lasting social, economic, and environmental value. The company’s commitment remains clear: to continue creating opportunities across the region through a sustainable, transparent, and results-oriented approach.
https://www.gentemotivandogente.com/index.php/en/420-bolivia-sostenible/10144-minera-san-cristobal-consolida-el-desarrollo-local-sostenible-mediante-inversiones-sociales-productivas-y-ambientales