LAFARGE Cement Zimbabwe has rolled out its annual health and safety month campaign which will engage Harare’s Mabvuku and Tafara communities. The campaign runs up to the end of this month. In a statement, Lafarge marketing and communications director, Edith Matekaire, said the campaign was meant to highlight the importance of community involvement in curbing diseases. “This year, Lafarge Cement Zimbabwe will be focusing on sustainable waste management,” she said. “We are using various opportunities to inculcate the health and safety culture among different populations we live and operate in.” Matekaire said they would work with children in primary schools where they will also conduct a road safety campaign. “We intend to make a big impact as we will be able to catch them young,” she said. “The road safety campaign is targeted at pedestrians, cyclists and drivers. “This is aimed at creating awareness on safe and responsible road use.” Improving waste management practices in the community, said Matekaire, leads to an overall benefit of a clean and healthy community which is particularly important in Mabvuku and Tafara where cases of typhoid and cholera are common as there are water problems in the area. “Lafarge aims to bring a positive difference to the community in developing sustainable waste management practices and creating awareness among the community with regards to maintaining a clean and healthy environment,” she said. “This will be sustainable as Lafarge will train anti-litter monitors who reside within the community. “The campaign will foster a deeper understanding among students on how they can become more responsible road users. “It will assist in creating awareness among the school-going population and parents about key road safety rules.” Matekaire said Lafarge would engage a number of stakeholders in the campaign which will reaffirm the company’s position as the leading producer of cement and allied products. The Lafarge 2015 health and safety month will run under the theme, ‘My actions, My Impact: Our Progress’. “This theme calls for individuals to reflect on their actions and take progressive actions with regards to health and safety for the benefit of all,” Matekaire said. Lafarge Cement Zimbabwe is one the leading cement and allied products producers in Zimbabwe. The now French-headquartered company was established in the country in 1956 first as Salisbury Portland Cement then owned by the United Kingdom-based Associated Portland and Manufactures Association. It was listed on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange in 1980, and subsequently changed its name to Circle Cement in 1982 in line with the change in the holding company name to Blue Circle Industries Plc. Circle Cement officially changed its name to Lafarge Cement Zimbabwe in 2007 and relisted on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange. The company has made a tremendous contribution to the country’s construction industry and has recorded significant growth in the past few years. It has two mining operations where limestone is extracted. These include Mbubu in Mashonaland East Province and Sternblick quarry in Harare.