Throughout Latin America, ChevronTexaco's long-standing commitments span a wide range of activities that help improve education, health, employment and infrastructure while being respectful of the environment, local cultures and indigenous people.
One of ChevronTexaco's more far-reaching contributions to the region is through grants to the Pan American Development Foundation (PADF). The company's grants assist the most disadvantaged people in Latin America and the Caribbean. PADF enables people to help themselves by providing disaster assistance, raising family incomes, improving technical training and health services, and strengthening democratic and social institutions.
In Colombia, the company and PADF signed a partnership agreement whereby PADF matches the company's grants dollar-for-dollar to help people displaced by guerilla warfare. For example, in La Guajira where the poverty level is higher than the national average, the Fishing Microenterprise Project trains displaced people in the craft of fishing.
In Venezuela, some 4,500 students attend 10 schools built by ChevronTexaco near the company's Boscan Field operations. ChevronTexaco also helped construct and rebuild orphanages, village water systems, and health and dental clinics.
In Peru, the company worked collaboratively with a team of anthropologists and environmentalists to assess the community needs of 20 villages and five indigenous groups. The result: The Peruvian Amazon Project, which helped build and furnish schools and clinics, train health workers, and hold environmental workshops in carpentry.