Community development

Leaving a positive legacy requires a strong understanding of the social and economic relationships between our mines and the surrounding communities. A sustainable legacy also represents a shift from a traditional philanthropic approach to strategic social investment, partnership development and integration with the Tanzanian Government’s development plans.

Our Community Relations teams work closely with host communities to create and implement integrated development programmes that take local priorities, concerns and needs into account, and focus on long-term sustainable development. Our operations seek to tackle the ongoing challenges of poverty, illegal activity and inadequate social service provision. In doing so, we liaise closely with local government authorities as well as a broad range of development partners.

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Education

We believe education and economic progress go hand in hand, and ABG works closely with the Tanzanian Education Authority to support their priorities and programmes. We are:

  • helping to develop the infrastructure of schools
  • offering scholarships to encourage stronger school attendance
  • actively enabling employees at Bulyanhulu to assist the local community
  • working with authorities at North Mara on mining community educational initiatives.

Community health

As well as our own health programmes for ABG employees we support government health initiatives for the wider community. We have established strong partnerships in working to combat HIV, malaria and tuberculosis and to improve access to health services. These partnerships include:

  • HIV prevention and education with EnGender Health and Population Services International
  • providing a farm to local NGO Shidepha so people affected by HIV/AIDS can earn a living
  • malaria prevention awareness with Malaria No More
  • training for government clinical officers in dental services by Bridge2Aid
  • surgery for burns and cleft palates by Volunteer Surgical Missions Australia-Tanzania
  • training and staffing of government health facilities with the Touch Foundation.

For the past three years, we have also held a fundraising dinner which has contributed some US$200,000 for life-changing surgical operations.

Fighting the scourge of HIV/AIDS

“HIV/AIDS threatens not just our employees but our host communities. In some regions, it is affecting nearly 1 in 10 people.

ABG has partnered with USAID, Engender Health and Deloitte & Touche to create the innovative P3P project. The objective is to train volunteer Peer Health Educators to provide information, and stress the benefits of voluntary counselling and testing, and condom use.

We are making progress: awareness of the disease has increased and risky behaviour has been reduced. HIV/AIDS is a fight we can win, but only with concerted and collaborative efforts from all stakeholders.”

Stephen Kisakye, ABG Community Health and Development Coordinator

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