Improving health outcomes is a critical contributor to sustainable development.  MMG works collaboratively with local governments and relevant institutions to deliver campaigns to improve health outcomes in our host communities, including partnering with UNICEF for a number of years to deliver the 1000 Day Project in Lao PDR. 

As part of the resettlement agreement with the community of Fuerabamba, Las Bambas financed the construction of the Fuerabamba Health Centre and contributed the medical equipment and supplies. Today, it continues to support the maintenance of the centre and the delivery of medical supplies to all community members.  

Las Bambas has been working closely with the current healthcare provider to improve health outcomes in the community. The Health Centre runs a number of health campaigns aimed at anaemia awareness and prevention, vaccination, prevention and treatment of parasites, maternal and early child health and nutrition services for the schools and aged care facility. The Health Centre also conducts home visits to support adequate care for the elderly and mobility-challenged members of the community, as well as house calls for families to support nutrition and hygiene practices at home.   

From early 2016 to now, there has been a 12.7% reduction in chronic child malnutrition in children under five years. Anaemia has also reduced from 17% to 1% in children in their first three years of primary school, a result which is considered eradicated according to Peruvian public health authorities.  

A participant in the Fuerabamba Health Centre’s health campaigns is Marisa. When Marisa’s son Christian was diagnosed with anaemia during a routine check-up at six months old, Marisa took the advice of the doctors seriously. She began attending all her son’s scheduled medical appointments, listened to the recommendations from the nutritionists at the Health Centre, participated in cooking classes to learn how to prepare healthy food for her son and attended other workshops and activities related to anaemia prevention. Within three months, Christian’s levels had improved and he was no longer anaemic.  

Marisa became an advocate of the Health Centre and their campaign against anaemia, encouraging other mothers within the community to participate in the workshops and activities held by the Health Centre. She also used her new cooking skills and entered in the cooking fair organised by the Challhuahuacho municipal council with the support of Las Bambas.   

Las Bambas remains committed to supporting health campaigns in its host communities and looks forward to sharing results of further campaigns into the future.