Projects with La Guajira

At Cerrejón, we lead projects in La Guajira that demonstrate how the private sector can create a positive and transformative impact in the community. Through initiatives, we help turn resources into opportunities that can improve the living conditions of local communities.

The Provincial Indigenous Reserve of the municipality of Barrancas in La Guajira and Cerrejón, launched a health post that stands out for its differential approach in which, in addition to providing Western medicine, it includes traditional Wayuu medicine. 

The adaptations were made on a total area of 1,600 m2, where 300 m2 were allocated to medical facilities that include a doctor's office, a dental office, a nursing room, a park, rest areas and, additionally, it has a power plant to ensure the provision of the service on a permanent basis. 

"I am happy and grateful to Cerrejón for the launch of this health post, in which we participated from its design, then in the construction and now all members of the community will be able to benefit, including other communities close to us. We dream of turning it into an Indigenous IPS based on decree 1953. I am glad that we can have this space for the practice of traditional medicine because it preserves our culture,” said Luis Emiro Guariyu, traditional authority of Provincial. 

With the objective of developing capacities, promoting sources of work and generating benefits for the communities, Cerrejón supported the traditional authorities of the reservation so that they themselves could select the subcontractor that worked on the designs, the licensing and that carried out the construction with labor from the same community. Likewise, the contractor was asked to make the necessary purchases for the execution of the work from local suppliers. 

“This type of initiative by the Cerrejón company in conjunction with Provincial is very important for the municipality of Barrancas. It is very fruitful to have the initiative on the part of the communities and the organizations as the basis of these works, such as those that Cerrejón is delivering today to the department of La Guajira. We are generating trust and I think that is the main thing so that they can empower themselves, generate added value and help their people, that is the strengthening that the company has committed to today with the help of the communities; these types of projects are those that generate footprints, changes, and are those that send those messages of prosperity and development,” said Vicente Berardinelli, mayor of Barrancas. 

For her part, Claudia Bejarano, president of Cerrejón, said:

“This health center significantly strengthens the care of the 1,000 members of the Provincial reservation, in quality and time of care, with excellent facilities that provide both Western medicine services and those relevant to Wayuu uses and customs. It is the first healthcare center in La Guajira and the country with these multicultural characteristics, designed and structured proactively by the community and executed by a community-based organization, contributing to the strengthening of the technical, financial and administrative community skills that promote the appropriation and sustainability of social investment, guaranteeing employment opportunities for community members. But, in addition, according to the projections of the Provincial authorities, the health center will offer services to the reservations in the south of the department, including the reservations of San Francisco, Cerro de Hatonuevo and other communities in the area." 

As part of an agreement with Veolia Aguas de La Guajira and the Barrancas Municipality, Cerrejón executed works to improve the Papayal and Oreganal aqueduct systems.

These works are expected to improve the availability of water to the elevated tank, from where Veolia will stabilize the system to gradually increase the continuity and coverage of the service for users in the localities.

More than 530 users from Papayal and Oreganal coul be benefit from these works, which involved an investment of 2.279 billion pesos, with Cerrejón contributing 1.746 billion pesos and Veolia 533 million pesos.

The improvements included the installation of pumping equipment, the activation of a storage tank, optimization of the main pipeline, construction of the network to the elevated tank, and hydraulic sectorization in the populated centers.
With this initiative, Cerrejón contributes to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 6: Clean Water and Sanitation, 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure, 10: Reduced Inequalities, and 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities. These goals aim to ensure the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all, build resilient infrastructure to support human well-being, reduce inequalities, and ensure access to safe, adequate, and affordable basic services for all.