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 Distributing food at the Bukavu Catholic orphanage. The Foundation is repairing damage to the orphanage caused by a recent earthquake.  HIV Booklet for South Kivu High School Students  Laying the foundation for the Kigumo Health Centre  Preparing for the Sod Turning Event for the Lugushwa Women's Resource Centre  Gift of Clothing and School Supplies for Namoya school  Gift of New Beds for the Namoya hospital  Building the new Ntiazo bridge near Twangiza  Bringing potable water to a village near Lugushwa  South Kivu Minister of Mines, the Mwamikazi and other dignitaries attending the Bukavu BF Office Inauguration  Banro's Congolese employees on an educational trip to gold mining operations in Ghana  BF Coordinator Victor Basira awarding prize at Women's Soccer Tournament sponsored by Banro -sm.jpg) Hospital facility at Luhwinja (Twangiza)  Namoya community leaders tour the Banro sample prep lab  New latrines built for the Namoya hospital  Building the Lugushwa - Tukenga Road  Rebuilding Sarambila RC Church at Namoya  Distributing stationary to schools children at Twangiza  Humanitarian aid for a village damaged by fire near Namoya  New Desks for Lugushwa school children  Chief Geologist Dr Howard Fall teaching skills to Congolese geologists  Banro employees celebrate International Women's Day 2006 | |
Banro's commitment to corporate social responsibility has four facets - the Banro Foundation, which promotes local social and economic development, capacity-building job creation and training for Congolese citizens, environmental protection and workplace safety.
| RECENT NEWS |
| On December 21, 2009, the Banro Foundation, together with the Honourable Emile Baleke, President of the South Kivu Parliamentary Assembly, traveled to the villages of Kiliba and Kawizi, near the city of Uvira on the northern tip of Lake Tanganyika, to deliver humanitarian aid to displaced villagers. The relief items, consisting of blankets, clothes and food and provided by the Banro Foundation, were presented by Mr. Baleke. |
Hon. Emile Baleke, President of the Provincial Assembly, presents aid to villagers
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Delivering humanitarian aid: (left to right) Papou Ntamba, Banro, Hon. Emile Baleke, Victor Basira, Banro Foundation and Innocent Kabongi, Banro
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Banro Foundation Administrator Victor Basira (left) receives award from MRJC President Ntita John Mbaya
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Victor Basira with Banro Foundation secretary Dorcas Matsoro
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Banro has been awarded a 2009 Merit of Honour by the Mouvement de Reveil de la Jeunesse Congolaise - M.R.J.C., a national Congolese youth association. The award, which was presented at a public ceremony in Bukavu on November 7, 2009, recognizes Banro's contributions to community development and the Company's active support of the DRC's "Five Pillars" for social and economic reconstruction.
This is the second formal recognition which Banro has received for its contributions to social development in the DRC. In May 2008, Banro was one of five finalists for a Canadian Award for International Cooperation in the category of "Construction, Reconstruction and/or Rehabilitation of Physical Infrastructure." These Awards are given annually by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) in conjunction with the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters.
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Winners of the MRJC Merit of Honour
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Banro's Merit of Honour Award
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On October 3, 2009, The Banro Foundation officially handed over to the community of Saramabila, near Namoya, the Saramabila Institute secondary school, which was financed and built by the Banro Foundation and is designed to serve 300 students. The official ceremony was attended by about a thousand local villagers and school children. The Congolese dignitaries were led by Kambambere Territorial Administrator Michel Magenda and included several tribal chiefs and school officials from the region. More photos of the ceremony can be seen on Banro's photo gallery at http://www.banro.com/s/Photos.asp?ReportID=95032
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Honouring the teachers of the new Saramabila Institute
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Cutting the ribbon to open the new school
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On May 8, 2009, The Banro Foundation officially handed over two major projects to the community of Luhwindja, near Twangiza. The Naluhwindja Institute, the first high school to be built in the region, serves over 200 students. A new potable water system, built in a cooperative venture with a local NGO, provides fresh, clean water to 18,000 people in four villages. The official ceremony was attended by over 2,000 local villagers and school children. Among the Congolese dignitaries in attendance were the Honourable Celestin Mbuya, DRC Minister of the Interior and Security, and the Honourable Louis Leonce Muderwa, Governor of South Kivu province. More photos of the ceremony can be seen on Banro's photo gallery.
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School children in front of the
new Naluhwindja Institute |
Celestin Mbuya, DRC Minister of the
Interior, addresses the community |
Interior Minister and Governor cut
ribbon to inaugurate water system |
Commemorating the new water system |
Meanwhile at Lugushwa, the Kigumo Health Care centre, a project recommended like the two above by the local Banro Foundation committee, will soon be ready for handover to local government and health care officials.
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The Kigumo Health Centre near Lugushwa rises from the ground |
The Health Care Centre will serve several thousand local residents |
Road-building became a major focus of the Banro Foundation in 2009, with rehabilitation of the14-kilometre Mulambi-Birhala (Twangiza) completed and four additional road construction projects currently underway. These include the 68 kilometre Butuza-Burhinyi Road (Twangiza), the 43 kilometre Lugushwa-Tukenga Road, the 15 kilometre Twangiza-Kaziba Road and the 1.5 kilometre Muhungu Road in Bukavu. Good roads and bridges are critical to the economic and social development of local communities.
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Rehabilitating the Butuza-Burhinyi Road |
The Mulambi-Birhala road was recently completed |
Banro Foundation co-ordinators Willy Mushagalusa and Victor Basira, centre, flanked by Banro employees Martin Baliruka (l) and Raoul Baraka (r) on the Twangiza-Kaziba Road |
Installing a new bridge on the Lugushwa-Tukenga Road |
In August 2008, Banro employees assisted the Lwiro Primate Rehabilitation Centre (CRPL), with the rescue of a baby chimpanzee from a poacher. Nicknamed "Banro" by the CRPL, the healthy one-year old chimp is living in the CPRL chimpanzee nursery, 40 kilometres north of Bukavu.
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"Banro" with Balume, Caretaker's manager of the CRPL |
Little "Banro" with Andrea, an Australian volunteer with CPRL |
Banro was a leading sponsor of the Bukavu Festival, an annual celebration which honors the arts and culture of the Great Lakes region of central Africa. Among the events which Banro supported under the banner of "Peace, Development and Security" was the Miss Great Lakes contest, which attracted contestants from the DRC, Rwanda and Burundi. The winner is a multi-talented young lady from the DRC, who will be acting as a spokesperson for Banro in helping to raise awareness among local communities of the need for AIDS prevention and improved treatment of women.
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Miss Great Lakes receiving her award from Banro's President & CEO Mike Prinsloo |
Miss Great Lakes with Banro President Mike Prinsloo and Dan Bansah, Banro Vice-President of Exploration. |
Among the organizations which the Banro Foundation helps to support is the Canadian Ape Alliance. Thanks to a financial gift from the Banro Foundation, the CAA in July 2008 was able to outfit the Lwiro Maternity Hospital, north of Bukavu, with new beds. The hospital serves a community that helps to protect and care for endangered primates.
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Constructing new beds for the Lwiro maternity hospital |
New beds ready for use in the hospital |
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THE BANRO FOUNDATION
The eastern Congo has long suffered from inadequate investment and development assistance, a fact reflected in the poor state of the region's infrastructure, education, health care and public amenities. While Banro believes that mining development will in time contribute significantly to local economic development and job creation, and generate a range of economic spin-off benefits for communities, it also recognizes that additional efforts are necessary to promote sustained community development.
For that reason, the Company in 2005 created the Banro Foundation, a registered charity in the DRC with a mandate to support education, health and infrastructure improvements, principally in the communities where Banro operates. The Foundation focuses on needs identified by local community leaders and invests in improvements that benefit communities as a whole. Wherever possible, the Foundation employs local labour in all initiatives.
Our Vision
Sustainable development through primary education and skills development, improving health care, evolving infrastructure and encouragement of local business - leading to long-term, enhanced opportunities and quality of life for local Congolese communities.
I. BANRO FOUNDATION CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS 2005 - 2010
Many of the projects undertaken by the Banro Foundation have involved the construction or rehabilitation of educational, health and community infrastructure. These projects include:
Bukavu/General
- Rehabilitation of the Bukavu Catholic orphanage which was damaged by the February 2008 Lake Kivu earthquake (2008).
- Reconstruction of a major arterial road in Bukavu which was damaged by the February 2008 Lake Kivu earthquake.
Twangiza
- Construction of a potable water delivery system serving four communities. Built in partnership with a local Roman Catholic NGO, BDD, the system consists of 19,000 metres of pipes and 16 water stations providing potable water to 18,000 people (2009).
- Construction of the new Naluhwindja Secondary School. This is the first high school in the Twangiza area and serves approximately 200+ students. (2009)
- Rehabilitation of the 14-kilometre Mulambi-Birhala Road and continuing work on the 68 km Butuza-Burhinyi Road and the 15 km Twangiza-Kaziba Road. This rehabilitation work includes construction of a number of new bridges (2009).
- Constructrion of a potable water delivery system for the village of Kange, near Twangiza (2008).
- Construction of a new facility for the Luhwindja hospital near Twangiza (2006).
Lugushwa
- Construction of the Kigumo Health Centre, a large facility designed to serve several thousand villagers in the region (2010).
- Completed construction of the 43-km Lugushwa-Tukenga road, including several new bridges (2009).
- Construction of a potable water delivery system to the village of Makalanga (2008).
- Construction of a short road from the main road to the Kigumo Health Centre (2008).
- Began construction of the Makalanga Women's Skills Training and Resource Centre (2008).
- Planning construction of the Byombi G3 Health Centre.
Namoya
- Construction of the Salambila secondary school, which will serve 300+ students (2009).
- Built new latrines for the Namoya medical clinic and donated beds and mattresses to this facility (2008).
- Construction of a shaded waiting area at the Namoya airport (2008).
- Rebuilt the Namoya bridge (2006).
- Planning rehabilitation of the Namoya medical clinic, the main facility serving the Namoya/Salambila region.
- Planning construction of the Lungomongomo primary school.
II. BANRO FOUNDATION SUPPORT FOR COMMUNITIES 2005 -- 2009
Building and nurturing supportive relations with local communities is another important role of the Foundation.
Bukavu/General
- Provided humanitarian relief to refugees from two villages near Uvira, South Kivu Province. (2009).
- Shipped a 20 foot container of medical equipment from Canada to Bukavu. The contents of the container were distributed at a public ceremony held at the Bukavu Provincial Hospital in October 2008; recipients included seven different medical organizations (2008).
- Undertook a joint project with the NGO Fondation Femme Plus to provide HIV/AIDS education and testing to Banro staff; currently exploring expanding this to communities (2008).
- Helped sponsor the Bukavu Festival which celebrates the arts and culture of the Great Lakes region (2008).
- Cooperated with Monsignor Bahala, a leading figure in the January 2008 Goma Peace Accord, to coordinate the Banro Foundation's activities in Bukavu with the recommendations of the Goma Peace Accord (2008).
- Provided financial support for the Canadian Ape Alliance to ensure medical care for conservation workers in South Kivu (2008).
- Worked with the NGO Coopera to rescue a baby chimp from poachers; currently exploring opportunities with Coopera to promote awareness of the need to protect endangered species (2008).
- Renovated and opened Banro Foundation offices in Bukavu, Twangiza, Lugushwa and Namoya (2007).
- Sponsored an HIV Awareness book for use by South Kivu high school students (2007).
- Extended financial assistance to the geology department of the Official University of Bukavu to offset the costs of Field Practical Training (2007).
- Helped sponsor the Don Bosco Foundation which provides assistance for street children in Kinshasa (2007).
- Provided financial support for the Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature (ICCN), which is responsible for the management of the Luama Kivu and Itombwe Reserve in South Kivu (2007).
- Sponsored a Women's Football Gala in Bukavu (2007).
- Participated in International Women's Day in Bukavu (2006-2009).
Twangiza
- Hosted a major public ceremony with the participation of civic leaders and the media to mark the inauguration of construction of the potable water and Naluhwindja Secondary School projects (2008).
- Financially supported and participated in the ceremony for the investiture of the Mwami of Birhinyi, a collectivity on the Twangiza concession (2008).
- Supported and participated in the celebrations marking the 18th birthday of the future Mwami of Luhwindja (2008).
- Organized a community meeting with officials and villagers at Mufwa, a village on the Twangiza concession where the company plans to begin exploration (2008).
- Supplied desks and stationary supplies to local schools (Ongoing).
Kamituga
- Donated 20 tons of building materials for the rehabilitation of roads and bridges (2008).
Lugushwa
- Acquired brick making equipment and taught brick-making to local workers who are being paid to supply bricks for Banro Foundation projects (2008).
- Sponsored a men's football gala (2007).
- Supplied desks and stationary supplies to local schools (Ongoing).
Namoya
- Provided building materials to the community for repair of the Salambila Catholic Church (2008).
- Provided humanitarian assistance to villagers following two separate fires (2006 & 2008).
- Participated in International Women's Day (2006 to 2009).
- Supplied desks and stationary supplies to local school (Ongoing).
Due to the rapid growth in Foundation activities, Banro in late 2007 reorganized the Foundation to support an expanded number of initiatives, accelerate project development, and promote greater community involvement. Five full-time staff were brought on board and secretaries were hired in Twangiza, Namoya and Lugushwa to coordinate the Foundation's work at the local level. In each of our three communities, Banro established committees comprised of leading citizens to recommend community initiatives to be undertaken by the Foundation.
The Banro Foundation celebrated three major events in 2007 when it inaugurated new offices at Twagniza, Lugushwa and Namoya. The provincial Governor and other senior provincial and local officials attended each ceremony. These buildings, which were fully renovated by the Foundation using local labour, provide a meeting place for local Banro Foundation committees, showcase the achievements of the Foundation and provide community information on Banro and the Foundation. In December 2007, a new Banro Foundation Office was officially opened in Bukavu with a 3 day ceremony which attracted 342 visitors from the community and was attended by provincial ministers and local officials. Offices are planned for Kamituga and Kindu, capital of Maniema province, in 2008.
Banro Foundation Partnerships
In February 2008, Banro announced a partnership with CARE International to promote sustainable development at the communities near our operations. CARE proposes using the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals to focus Banro's community development efforts, with the goal of creating long-term sustainable economic and social benefits for these communities. In May, the CARE team visited the communities near the Banro projects and prepared a Needs Assessment for the Banro Foundation.
Thanks to the support of the David Smith Foundation of Ottawa, Banro was able to collect and ship medical supplies and equipment to hospitals and clinics in the DRC. The supplies, which are due to arrive in Bukavu in May 2008, were carefully selected to meet medical needs identified by clinics in South Kivu and Maniema provinces.
The Banro Foundation also provides financial support to the Biotechnology Development Association Foundation of Montreal. This group works with a Jesuit botanist community near Kinshasa to foster the cultivation of specialized plants for use in medications, with the goal of introducing the cultivation of these specialized plants into rural Congolese communities. The BDA Foundation also operates a mobile medical clinic in rural areas of the DRC.
Creating Jobs and Opportunities
Banro is committed to creating capacity-building jobs and economic opportunities for local Congolese. In little more than three years, Banro has gone from having no presence in the eastern DRC to being one of the largest private employers in the region. As it has grown, the Company has deliberately created opportunities for local Congolese, while encouraging potential suppliers to grow businesses to supply Banro with goods and services.
- Of the 206 Banro employees in the DRC, 191 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, 37 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. In 2007, for example, the Company organized a trip for our Congolese geologists to Ghana to observe and learn about mining operations.
- Of our 8 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.
- Additionally, through suppliers and contractors, Banro has created jobs for another 1110 Congolese - primarily individuals who live in the small villages where we operate.
- This is approximately 1,300 jobs that Banro has created in the DRC in little over five years.
Creating Opportunities for Women
Banro currently employs 27 women in its operations, primarily geologists, lab workers and administrative personnel; these include four women serving in senior positions. The Company is committed to increasing the number of female employees at all levels of the Company.
The Issue of Sexual Violence Against Women
Sexual violence against women is a serious issue in the eastern Congo. The violence occurs predominately in North Kivu, several hundred kilometers north of Bukavu and the Banro projects and is associated with an ongoing ethnic conflict in the area. The Company is not aware of incidents at or anywhere near its projects. The Banro Foundation will be working with CARE to address the issue of how the Foundation can participate in the efforts to end sexual violence. The Foundation also supports the renowned Panzi Referral Hospital in Bukavu, which specializes in the treatment of female victims of sexual violence.
Environmental Protection and Workplace Safety
Banro's policy on environmental protection is contained within its Business Conduct Policy, which states the Company's belief that effectiveness in environmental standards, along with occupational health and safety, is an essential element in our approach to business. Banro works at continuous improvement in these areas and is guided by the following principles:
- creating a safe work environment;
- minimizing the environmental impacts of its activities;
- building cooperative working relationships with local communities and governments in the Company's areas of operations
- reviewing and monitoring environmental and safety performance; and
- prompt and effective response to any environmental and safety concerns.
Banro adheres to the E3 Environmental Excellence in Exploration guidelines, which was developed by the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada and is considered to be the guiding standard for environmental protection in the mineral exploration business worldwide. In developing plans for future mines, Banro is focusing on creating safe and environmentally sound operations and workplaces.
Banro's management also ensures that all employees and suppliers respect and adhere to the laws of the DRC with respect to the protection of threatened and endangered species.
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