Holcim Apasco - Holcim Apasco delivers homes to low-income families in Villahermosa, Tabasco

Villahermosa, Tabasco, August 20, 2008 - Holcim Apasco, in conjunction with Fideicomiso Provivah, delivered 438 homes to low-income families in Villahermosa, Tabasco, to support rebuilding efforts in the state after the devastation caused by last year's floods.

"By providing these homes, we deliver on the pledges made to support Tabascans, and we contribute to improving the lives of those Mexican families most in need," said Gustavo Gastélum, External Communications and Relations director at Holcim Apasco.

In attendance at the ceremony were Mexican President Felipe Calderón Hinojosa and Andrés Granier Melo, governor of the state of Tabasco, as well as senior managers of the cement company.

The alliance of Holcim Apasco with PROVIVAH materialized for the first time in 2003, when the state of Colima was hit by a major earthquake that damaged homes and disrupted life in several communities. On that occasion, Holcim Apasco lent its support for sanitation and rebuilding of hundreds of Colima homes, helping return to the people a little of what they had lost.Since then, Holcim Apasco has helped build more than five thousand homes in the states of Guerrero, Colima, Chiapas, Veracruz and Tabasco, benefiting approximately 25 thousand low-income residents.

About Provivah
PROVIVAH was created in December 1999 by a group of businesspeople committed to helping families most in need. A private trust was organized to raise funds to build housing for Mexican families living in extreme poverty. For this purpose, a framework of collaboration was established with the Mexican Department of Social Development (SEDESOL) and with state and municipal governments, making it possible to build basic, expandable homes initially consisting of a multipurpose room, a kitchenette and a bathroom, with brick masonry walls and concrete roofs, with the basic public utilities of water, electricity and sewage. The program is for families with monthly incomes at or below 2.5 times the Mexican minimum wage. To participate in the program, 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 the information verified, a drawing is held before notary public to determine who will receive the housing.

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Holcim Apasco produces and sells cement, aggregates (sand and gravel), ready-mix concrete 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, 2 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, aggregates (sand and gravel), ready-mix concrete, 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 Díez
veronica.diez@holcimapasco.com.mx