Banro's Chief Geologist, Dr Howard Fall, teaching core logging skills to Congolese geologists.
Distributing new desks at a school in Lugushwa
A new bridge for Lugono
Banro's CSR programs comprise two vital components - job creation and the Banro Foundation.
Job Creation
Banro is committed to creating of jobs and economic opportunities for local Congolese. In little over two years, Banro has gone from having no presence in the eastern DRC to being largest private employer in our region. As it has grown, the Company has deliberately created opportunities for many local Congolese, while encouraging potential suppliers to grow businesses to serve us.
* There are 174 Banro employees in the DRC. Of these, 157 are Congolese citizens. Many of these employees work as geologists, technicians,lab workers and administrative employees.
* Banro's total complement of geologists in the DRC numbers 45; of these, 35 are Congolese. These are young, enthusiastic graduates of Congolese institutions.
* To support their professional development, the Company has put in place one of the most advanced and intensive industry training programs in Africa. Our goal is to raise these young people to professional levels of competence and ensure they will have bright futures in the mining industry.
* Of our 10 expatriate geologists, all have spent their careers in Africa, and all but three are Africans. Among our geologists are citizens of Ghana and Tanzania. We look forward to the day when the DRC can boast a large cadre of highly trained geologists, who can contribute to the development of the DRC and other African countries.
* Additionally, through suppliers and contractors, Banro has created jobs for another 800 Congolese -- primarily individuals who live in the small villages where we operate.
* This is almost 1,000 jobs that Banro has created in the eastern DRC in little more than two years.
Creating Jobs for Women
Banro currently employs 37 women in its Congolese operations, primarily geologists, lab workers and administrative personnel, and including the supervisor of the Banro sample preparation laboratory in Bukavu. The Company is committed to increasing the number of female employees at all levels of the Company.
The Banro Foundation
Since launching its current exploration program in late 2004, Banro has been working with local communities to improve basic education, health and infrastructure. In late 2005, the Company formalized this commitment to community development with the creation of the Banro Foundation.
The Banro Foundation is a registered charity, operating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with a mandate to support education, health and infrastructure improvements principally in the local communities where Banro operates. The Company provided initial capitalization of $300,000 and created a management structure that ensures the participation in decision-making of tribal chiefs and local representatives of the Catholic Church. The Foundation focuses on needs that have been identified by such community leaders and invests in improvements that will benefit communities as a whole. To the extent possible, the Foundation employs local labour in all initiatives.
In the area of education, the Foundation has been supplying writing supplies and desks, built by local carpenters, to primary schools along the gold belt. The Foundation plans in future to construct and improve school buildings, build recreational centres, supply sports equipment and fund high school scholarships for local students.
With respect to health care infrastructure, the Foundation in 2006 built a new facility at a local hospital and distributed beds, blankets and mosquito netting to local medical clinics. We are currently developing a new program to provide food, clothes, medicines and equipment to orphanages and centres for the physically handicapped in Kinshasa, and in the provinces of South Kivu and Maniema.
Our most ambitious initiative in the health area involves a proposed partnership with a prominent NGO to improve the screening, prevention and treatment of disease, particularly malaria and HIV/AIDS. This NGO recently completed a health and sanitation survey of the populations near our operations.
Our third priority area is infrastructure improvements. The Foundation has built or reconstructed a number of roads and bridges that were destroyed in the Congolese civil war. Looking ahead, the Banro Foundation will be tackling the challenge of clean drinking water, as well as improvements to airfields and community facilities.
The Banro Foundation is still in its infancy, but we look forward to it becoming a major force in the economic and social development of local communities.
Photos
Handing out of humanitarian assistance to Kimbaseke village leaders. Kimbaseke, located near Namoya, was partially destroyed by fire in June 2006.
Testing the new bridge at Twangiza
The Kimbaseke Bridge, which spans the River Kama near Namoya, is a project of the Banro Foundation.
The Banro Foundation formally hands over a new bridge to the Namoya community.
Banro Foundation distributing stationery to primary schools in Twangiza
Supporting basic education is a primary focus of the Banro Foundation
The Banro Foundation provided the materials and labour to build a new kitchen at the Lubwinja hospital, near Twangiza
Repair of bridges and roads is also a priority of the Banro Foundation |
