Holcim Apasco - Holcim Apasco Delivers 1,200 Homes to Low-Income Families in Several States in Mexico

Mexico City, April 28, 2008. During the first quarter of 2008, Holcim Apasco, in conjunction with the nonprofit organization Fideicomiso Provivah, delivered 1,200 housing units in the states of Michoacán, Jalisco and Guerrero."At Holcim Apasco we are committed and dedicated to improving the living conditions of families by promoting and supporting the construction of housing and the reconstruction of areas hit by natural disasters. Through this alliance with the Fideicomiso Provivah trust, in recent years Holcim Apasco has helped build over 6,500 houses in the states of Colima, Guerrero, Veracruz, Chiapas, Hidalgo, Guanajuato, Tabasco, Michoacán and Jalisco, benefiting approximately thirty thousand people," said Gustavo Gastélum, Director of Communication and External Relations of the cement company.In addition to the houses delivered in these states, 2,200 units are being built in Tabasco to help families affected by last year's floods.Holcim Apasco’s alliance with PROVIVAH started in 2003 when a major earthquake hit the state of Colima, damaging homes and affecting lives in several communities. Holcim Apasco provided aid in the form of repair and reconstruction of hundreds of area homes, helping people regain a little of what they had lost.About ProvivahPROVIVAH was created in December 1999 by a group of businesspeople committed to helping the neediest of families. A private trust was organized to raise funds to build housing for Mexican families living in extreme poverty through a framework of collaboration with the Mexican Department of Social Development (SEDESOL) and with state and municipal governments, enabling the construction of basic, expandable homes initially consisting of a multipurpose room, a kitchenette and a bathroom, with brick masonry walls and concrete roofs, and with basic public utilities of water, electricity and sewage. The program is for families with incomes at or below 2.5 times the Mexican monthly minimum wage. To participate, families respond to a public announcement, and those that qualify fill out a socioeconomic status form and are registered. Once all necessary paperwork has been filed and information verified, a drawing is held in the presence of a notary public to determine who will receive the housing.####Holcim Apasco produces and sells cement, ready-mix concrete, aggregates (sand and gravel) and other products and services for construction. The company has a presence throughout Mexico, with 6 cement plants and a current installed capacity of 11.3 million tons per year, 23 cement distribution centers, 4 maritime terminals, over 100 ready-mix concrete plants, 5 aggregate plants, and a Concrete Technology Center. Holcim Apasco is part of the Holcim Group, a world leader in cement, ready-mix concrete, aggregates (sand and gravel), and other products and services for construction. The Group holds majority and minority interests in more than 70 countries on all five continents.Contact: Verónica Díezverónica.diez@holcimapasco.com.mx