October 26, 2023
A laundromat created with the backing of the El Abra operation in Chile to generate employment opportunities for women recently celebrated its 15th year of providing an important service to the company while creating jobs in the community.
The Community Laundry of Chiu Chiu employs more than 20 people, most of whom are heads of households. The venture was backed by El Abra in alliance with the National Corporation for Indigenous Development (CONADI) and the city of Calama. The laundromat processes all the clothing worn by El Abra’s workers, a total of more than 25,000 garments per month.
“The laundry of Chiu Chiu is a business that received support both from the public and private sector and has shown to be successful in all the years it has been open, said Boris Medina, President-El Abra. “It is a good example of the collaboration between a community and a mining company, in this case El Abra, that gives concrete and positive results for people and particularly for women.”
Since its founding, the Chiu Chiu laundromat has expanded to serve other companies in the region. To modernize and expand its services, the laundromat – equipped with industrial machines and a drying facility – was incorporated this year with its own management. The people who work there also receive ongoing training.
El Abra has continued its support of the laundromat over the years. In 2020, the site provided financial and other support to build a water recycling plant, allowing it to lower its costs. During the next year, El Abra plans to continue to support the business with human resources, accounting and communications training.
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Freeport-McMoRan operates large, long-lived, geographically diverse assets with significant proven and probable reserves of copper, gold and molybdenum.
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