ArcelorMittal and Habitat build houses in Trinidad and Tobago
BRATISLAVA (March 10, 2012) – A team of over 50 employees from across the ArcelorMittal Group will spend a week in Trinidad & Tobago to commence the ArcelorMittal Foundation’s Solidarity Holidays Programme in 2012.
The team will join forces with Habitat for Humanity in the village of Valencia, Eastern Trinidad to build a new home for the McPherson family. This initiative forms part of both ArcelorMittal and Habitat for Humanity’s community development strategy where our employee volunteers assist with the mission of eradicating poverty housing across Global locations where both organizations have established their core business. The volunteers on programme come from Latin America, Europe, North America and will also receive the support of the Volunteers in Action Team from ArcelorMittal’s Point Lisas Operations in Trinidad.
Habitat for Humanity started working in Valencia in 2011. Now, it is launching in the area a new project with the aim to provide 16 families with better housing and support 32 families through the training on the basic construction skills and capacity building. This community in Valencia is home for more than 700 residents and some homes are constructed without adequate attention to issues of sustainability and safety. According to the local Red Cross, more than 30 percent of them are poorly built. One of the main objectives of this partnership project is to address these issues to build greater awareness within the community.
This new partnership project was launched on March 4, when local Habitat and ArcelorMittal employees and community leaders spent a day working on the construction site. ArcelorMittal volunteers will help complete a house for Anita McPherson and her family of 7, who is currently faced with challenging living conditions in their current wooden shelter.
She is one of the first families to benefit from this new partnership between the ArcelorMittal Foundation and Habitat for Humanity. In this regard, our volunteers will help mix cement, plaster walls, and install steel frames in the construction of this new concrete home. “ArcelorMittal and Habitat have been working together since 2008. The Solidarity Holidays we are organizing with Habitat are a great opportunity for our employees to spend time in a foreign country, learn about different culture, while volunteering in a project to benefit low-income communities,” says Nathalie Rehaen, ArcelorMittal Foundation’s Regional Manager Americas.
Habitat for Humanity Trinidad and Tobago was established in 1997 and since then has been serving families with new builds, renovations, repairs, home partner trainings and financial training.
Over the last three years, the ArcelorMittal Foundation has helped Habitat to support over 700 families. ArcelorMittal employees were involved in volunteering at the Habitat build sites in Latin America, Africa, the Caribbean and Europe. In addition building and renovating, the ArcelorMittal Foundation has supported Habitat’s reconstruction efforts in Haiti. To date, steel donated by ArcelorMittal has been used in 310 transitional shelters. There are plans to build a further 1,900 units.
About the ArcelorMittal Foundation
Created in 2007, the ArcelorMittal Foundation is a non-profit organization focused on developing projects that benefit the communities in which ArcelorMittal is present. The ArcelorMittal Foundation operates in 30 countries.
Every year, the Foundation supports around 580 projects which are aimed at maximizing the potential of each community, respecting their specific needs and empowering the local resources. Furthermore, the ArcelorMittal Foundation promotes entrepreneurship by helping people to develop their own talents.
Its main areas of activity are Education, Health and Community Development. The Foundation also has a standing commitment to offer immediate and urgent help to communities affected by emergencies and promotes the participation of the ArcelorMittal employees in different social projects.
About ArcelorMittal
ArcelorMittal is the world’s leading steel company, with operations in more than 60 countries. ArcelorMittal is the leader in all major global steel markets, including automotive, construction, household appliances and packaging, with leading R&D and technology, as well as sizeable captive supplies of raw materials and outstanding distribution networks. The ArcelorMittal Foundation acts as a philanthropic arm of the company. Find out more at www.arcelormittal.com
About Habitat for Humanity International
Habitat for Humanity International is a global nonprofit Christian housing organization that seeks to put God’s love into action by bringing people together to build homes, communities and hope. Since 1976, Habitat has served more than 500,000 families by building and improving homes; by advocating for fair and just housing policies; and by providing training and access to resources to help families improve their shelter conditions. An estimated 17,000 of these families are in Europe and Central Asia, where Habitat has been active since the mid-1990s. For more information, to donate or to volunteer, please visit www.habitateurope.org.