Rosa’s voice: Telling Cerrejón’s story

Rosa grew up in Papayal, a rural community close to Glencore’s Cerrejón operations in La Guajira, Colombia.

She is the only child of a single mother who herself joined Cerrejón when she was 20 years old and worked as a clerk for the company’s vice-president of truck management. 

“I’ve been part of this company since before I was born. From the moment I was in my mother’s belly, I was already part of this big family – my earliest memory is the sound of the Cerrejón bus that used to take my mother to work!”

Rosa has always been determined. It’s why she decided to study hard at school and learn English as a second language.

“Being the daughter of a single mother makes you a confident woman”, she explains. “I was encouraged to be exactly who I am, taught to work hard and to appreciate the importance of family time.”

This encouragement and her commitment to her education meant Rosa could find a career that she is passionate about – communicating with people working at Cerrejón. As an internal communications specialist, she is responsible for internal communications efforts and the management of Cerrejón’s brand. 

“We raise awareness of certain topics and help make sure our people are informed on a whole range of things, like health and safety, social and environmental issues, and our relationship with local communities” Rosa explains. 

“My work helps to keep the spirit of Cerrejón alive in our people, reminding them of our values and identity. And this is what unites us as an organisation.” 

Cerrejón is one of the largest open-pit coal-export mining operations in the world. It employs more than 13,800 people and has 6 pits currently in operation. 

“Right now, the world has a need for this resource and so the work we are doing is helping to advance La Guajira and the rest of our country by providing thermal coal in a responsible way,” Rosa explains. 

A big part of her work is about helping people in La Guajira appreciate the value that Cerrejón brings. To do this, Rosa is passionate about the power of storytelling as a communications tool. 

“Sharing and exchanging information enriches us as people and helps us to understand each other,” she explains.