OREANDA-NEWS. Gerdau, by means of its Pro-Childhood Fund, raised BRL 2.2 million in donations from employees in 2012. The money was distributed to 135 organizations that care for 78 thousand children and teenagers in Brazil. Over 1.5 thousand Gerdau employees made tax-deductible and spontaneous donations. The purpose of the program is to collect funds for organizations that assist children and teenagers in situations of social risk or with special needs.

From 1999 to 2012, contributions added up to BRL 38 million and helped 382 thousand children and adolescents all over Brazil. The Pro-Childhood Fund is coordinated by the Gerdau Institute, which is responsible for the company's social responsibility policies and guidelines.

Gerdau is the leading producer of long steel in the Americas and one of the largest suppliers of special long steel in the world. It has more than 45,000 employees and industrial operations in 14 countries with operations in the Americas, Europe and Asia, which together represent an installed capacity of more than 25 million metric tons of steel per year. Gerdau is the largest recycler in Latin America and around the world and transforms millions of metric tons of scrap into steel every year. Gerdau is listed on the stock exchanges of Sao Paulo, New York and Madrid, and has approximately 140,000 shareholders