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FORTUNA SILVER MINES INC. | 2014 ANNUAL REPORT
San Jose Mine, Mexico
Building roads to a better life
Building and maintaining roads is an effective means
of fighting rural poverty in Mexico. A reliable road
network improves mobility, providing easier access to
farms and local markets. Rural roads also aid social
development in remote communities by improving
supply routes, medical care and travel for residents.
In San Jose del Progreso, a network of small
unpaved roads was built in the 1960s to connect
surrounding villages. Since then, however, the
communities have lacked sufficient funds to maintain
the roads. In 2011, we started the Road Opening
and Maintenance Program for the San Jose del
Progreso communities and the county seat under
an agreement with the municipality of San Jose del
Progreso. In 2014, we contributed $378,000 to the
program to build 53 kilometers of new roads. The
roads directly benefit 5,600 people living in San Jose
del Progreso, San Jose La Garzona, El Cuajilote,
Maguey Largo and El Jagüey. In addition to improving
communication between the communities, our
program also allows for the daily transportation of
residents and their animals.
Bringing electricity to remote households
Mexico has one of the highest levels of coverage of
electrical service in Latin America. Yet, many people
living in rural areas still do not have access to
electricity. This creates an obstacle to the provision
of public services, such as drinking water,
telecommunication, remote education, health
services and commerce. Additionally, new rural roads
(see story above) have given local residents of San
Jose del Progreso the opportunity to expand their
dwelling areas and thus increase demand for basic
services.
Under an agreement with the municipality of San
Jose del Progreso, we have provided financing to
local communities to extend the electrical grid. The
extension supplies electricity to households located
in the outskirts of the communities, helping
residents improve living conditions and start small
businesses.
In 2014, we contributed $63,000 to the project,
while municipal and federal governments provided
additional funding. The expanded grid serves more
than 100 families, as well as the San Isidro Chapel
and civic facilities, such as a home for the elderly at
San Jose del Progreso, a nursery facility and areas
open to the general public.
