IN UNDERGROUND EQUIPMENT, THE WORK OF WOMEN MINERS STANDS OUT

Two Colombian engineers whose work is carried out underground have become a palpable example of support, improvement and incredible ability to carry out mining tasks in circumstances that were once exclusive for men.

Gilma Vivares and Yolima Vargas show us, through their life experience, the importance of supporting and improving education and training opportunities for women. These two leaders who work at the head of teams in gold mines in Segovia, Antioquia, are part of that 8.8% of female workers in Colombia in the mining sector.

Currently, many women work in Gran Colombia Gold's underground mining operation with the responsibility of driving heavy machinery such as the Jumbo, a modern hydro-hydraulic drilling vehicle; the Scoop with which they transport the mineral into the mine and the Dumper , a large-scale dump truck in which the material from the mine is transported.

In addition, we find them working in the areas of geomechanics, planning, chemical and industrial engineering, and machining training. “We are showing that we can also,” says Gilma Vivares, a 26-year-old girl from Cúcuta, who is one of the professionals who chose careers that break taboos, such as mining engineering.

Before beginning her higher studies, Gilma did not know that this career existed, until one day she accompanied a friend who was studying it and that was when she let herself be seduced by mining, without suspecting that this path would lead her to occupy a position in command in one of the largest mines in Colombia.

This mining engineer, who worked as a manicurist to pay for her studies, began as an apprentice three years ago at the mine, until she managed to advance to training professional. Today, and thanks to her perseverance and dedication, she is the boss who makes decisions and leads more than 60 workers on each shift.

During his day, in addition to leading the group and making decisions about drilling, he must monitor the times and cycles of the entire process that involves the extraction of gold, an area that by 2024 could represent Colombia 5,000 million dollars in investments. , and nearly 7 thousand jobs.

Although for this mining engineer, her job generates some sacrifices, such as commuting from work to home and only being able to meet with her boyfriend every 20 days, she still has goals to meet. He wants to reach the maximum position in a mine.

Another example of leadership is Yolima Vargas, also a mining engineer and who recognizes that, although the percentage of women in the mining world remains low, her incursion has allowed for more organization, “because we are punctual, dedicated, currently we have involved in the field of operation and in headquarters. We have learned to be supportive,

We teach by example, and every day we come across more women performing different tasks within the mines.”

According to this young 28-year-old mining engineer, originally from Aquitania Boyacá, but with a marked Paisa accent, to work in the mining world, she found a company that gave her the opportunity to study and climb the ladder from Mechanized Assistant to being the Mechanized Equipment Training Coordinator. It has trained around 205 mechanized operators, among whom are women heads of households and young people between 18 and 30 years old.

Yolima, who in order to study and help her family made up of her mother and three brothers, took advantage of every work opportunity: she delivered mail, cleaned tables in a pool hall, sold in a food cart, was a waitress and bartender . Now, he will continue with his projects of studying English, his master's degree in mechanical engineering and starting his training school, in addition to working in advanced mining such as those in Germany, Mexico and Peru.

Mining will be part of the sustainable reactivation in Colombia

In accordance with the incursion of women into the mining industry, the national government is creating gender equality policies based on international initiatives such as the Sustainable Development Goals and the United Nations Global Compact, which gave rise to gender guidelines. for the mining-energy sector, published in March 2020.

In this regard, during the presentation of the ten milestones of the mining-energy sector in 2021, the Minister of Mines and Energy Diego Mesa assured that one of the most important challenges will be to protect some 350,000 jobs generated by this sector. This year, the sustainable reactivation of Colombia will be promoted, which will translate into equity, development and new opportunities for the country and its regions.

According to the Ministry of Mines and Energy, work will be done so that by the end of 2022 at least 15% of companies are certified in gender equality, 10% have a budget for actions aimed at this issue, and at least 15% of companies have adhered to the Equipares Seal, a certification program aimed at recognizing companies that effectively implement the Gender Equality Management System.

The leading female entrepreneurship company

Segovia and Remedios are two towns that stand out for having the mines with the highest production of gold and silver. Since 2010, the Gran Colombia Gold company is the largest producer of these precious metals in Colombia, where women have had the opportunity to work in different positions in mining exploitation through the Entrepreneurial Women Leaders initiative .

The company leads a social program for scrap metal girls and women in this mining region, training in jewelry and in different topics, such as the making of face masks, 300 thousand of which were distributed, during the isolation due to the pandemic, in northeast Antioquia. In addition, there is a scholarship program at the IE Gimnasio La Salada to promote access to primary and secondary education for the region's children.

Regardless of the conditions, mining women have shown that with their character, perseverance and discipline they can have job opportunities in any sector of the economy.