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Social Work
CORPORATE CITIZEN
 Sivensa, as corporate citizen with industrial activities in various regions of the country, has a close relationship of commitment to and support of the social development, with special emphasis in education and communities. The connection with the local needs and the promotion of a better standard of living, have been part of the essential values of Sivensa and its divisions during its 58 years of history. These efforts are basically developed through Fundametal, Center of Applied Knowledge , and the activities deployed in the regions where Sivensa performs its operations.
 The performance of its Social Responsibilities includes Human Resources policies focused on promoting the well-being of its workers and their families. They have, among other benefits, contributions for acquiring houses, savings encouragement plans, vacation plans, scholarships and contributions for their children's school materials, dental health programs, vaccination and other preventive medicine services. Additionally, the Human Resources departments, in order to a attain the social equilibrium at the Productive Centers, organize information campaigns against the improper use of alcohol and drugs, and coordinate various educational, cultural, recreational and sports activities that integrate families with the community.
Through its operating affiliates, Sivensa indirectly contributes with a series of institutional goals, by making contributions to organizations such as the "Dividendo Voluntario para la Comunidad", "Bomberos Voluntarios", religious institutions, Fundacite, Ceproguayana, Sencamer and Fondonorma.
COMMUNITIES
For more than twelve years, operating subsidiary Sidetur has been promoting the " Programa de Formación de Promotores Comunitarios para el desarrollo Local" (Program for the Training of Community Promoters for Local Development), jointly with the "Escuela de Vecinos de Venezuela", in which more than 4,000 community leaders have participated in the cities of Caracas and Barquisimeto. This operating subsidiary conducts assistance programs for the community by making special contributions for houses in its areas of influence; and providing support to the YMCA at San Martín, in Caracas , thus promoting the consolidation of spaces for thousands of children to practice sports.
 In Guayana, operating subsidiary IBH carries out an assistance program for schools and supports refuge centers for abandoned youths. It also promotes volunteer work and solidary action among its workers, to help the needy communities of Guayana, and is responsible for the maintenance of the green areas of the city.
PUBLICATIONS
Since 1991, the Sidetur division publishes the magazine " Sidetur en la Comunidad" , a mass distribution publication that deals in a simple language with topics regarding health, family and prevention. This publication provides support to the forming of family and civil values, strengthens the habit of reading and provides useful advice to improve safety, and prevent crimes and accidents. Sidetur also publishes a monthly guide named " Acero al Día" , which deals with general topics of construction and blacksmithing, provides instructions regarding the assembly of specific structures, defines technical terms in a simple language, and encourages the self-management of housing construction, making technical knowledge available to all. "Acero al Día" is addressed to the general public and is available, free of cost, through the distributors.
 Sidetur also promotes the quality of civil works by publishing the series of booklets named " Manual de Estructuras de Acero " for estimators, project designers, engineering, architecture and civil construction students. Written by Engineer Arnaldo Gutiérrez, these booklets provide examples of application and calculation, charts with properties and characteristics of products.
Another publication that has been well-received and demanded by the public is the booklet " Losas de Tabelones ", which shows in a simple manner the use, advantages, components, construction process, recommendations, standards and other characteristics of this construction system that is broadly used in our country. With the support of graphs and illustrations, this booklet shows the characteristics of double T beams, concrete mixes, calculation tables and how to make welded joints.
Consistent with the purpose of providing specialized information, Sidetur keeps the Centers for Information and Documentation at Antímano and Barquisimeto up to date. These centers not only preserve the information generated and received by the organization, but are a source for the research on steel and related topics that may be accessed by workers, students and the outside public.
CULTURE
 At IBH, the "Viernes Culturales," or Cultural Fridays, have become a tradition that assembles the workers around music, with the performance of regional musical groups, choruses, children's orchestras and other traditional genres.
In turn, the Sidetur division, through its plant located in Antímano, supports the activities of "Orquesta Sinfónica Infantil de Carapita," made up by 70 children of the zone, ages 7-16. Sidetur has approved giving its support to this orchestra with the construction, endowment and/or equipping of its new seat, and by providing the materials and instruments required. The benefit of this contribution will extend to the extra-curricular activities of the Sistema Nacional de Orquestas Juveniles e Infantiles (National System of Youth's and Children's Orchestras) , which provides musical education to 280 children of the Basic School of Carapita.
ENVIRONMENT
Environmental protection is part of the series of values that define Sivensa, in its commitment to the development and in the search for the well-being of its workers and their communities. In this regard, Sivensa's subsidiaries have made and continue making considerable investments to permanently adequate its systems to the Venezuelan environmental laws.
 Our subsidiary Sidetur fulfills an environmental remediation task by acquiring thousands of metric tons of ferrous scrap through its gathering centers located in twelve cities of the country. This scrap is used in Sidetur's melting furnaces as raw material for steel. The scrap collection network set by Sidetur positively integrates the regional communities, by offering a non-traditional source of income for the micro-entrepreneurs who engage in the gathering and sale of ferrous scrap.
In the last eight years, the plant in Barquisimeto has invested approximately US$ 10 million in systems for the control of emissions, particularly in the Dust Extraction System at the steel mill. In 2006, Sidetur's Casima plant has advanced with the project to install an emission control system for its steel mill. The operations of the first stage of this project are scheduled to begin in August 2007, and the second stage, which consists of expansions of the system, in May 2008.
As part of the process for obtaining the ISO 14.000 certification, a series of plants that belong to subsidiaries of Sivensa, have had a broad discussion with their employees, consumers, clients and the community, regarding the potential environmental impact caused by the transformation processes. The high scores obtained in the environmental audits have confirmed the continued improvement in the Environmental Management System. SPORTS
 For more than 20 years, Sidetur Valencia has supported the activities of "Siduritos," the area's minor league baseball team. As a result of this, several of the children who participate in this team have been further promoted to some professional groups in Venezuela and abroad. The seat of the team is at the sports facilities of Sidetur Valencia , where they also practice. Additionally, these facilities also are available for the children of schools in the vicinity of the plant, and for its workers and their families. Sidetur Valencia participates each year in the Industrial Games of the State of Carabobo , and has broad sports facilities for softball, volley ball, "bolas criollas", and basket ball.
 In turn, subsidiary IBH, in seeking to encourage the integral health and the best standard of living for its workers, encourages the participation in various sports, holding each year the "Internal Games," which includes the following sports: basket ball, "bolas criollas," softball, "futbolito," chess, hiking, "truco" and dominoes. This subsidiary also participates each year in the "Juegos Interempresas" organized by CVG Fundeporte, supported by several corporations of Guayana.
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