11 March 2013
Rio Tinto Diamonds is delighted with the 100 per cent pass rate in recent high school examinations for local children in the communities surrounding its developing Bunder diamond mine in Madhya Pradesh.
In a unique programme the community relations team at Bunder has been providing coaching centres for local children who had been unable to continue high school either because of lack of resources or because they have to travel long distances to get to school. Girls, who traditionally have not been encouraged to complete high school, have been a particular focus of the project.
According to Santosh Pathak, Community Relations Advisor at Bunder,
“We were delighted to hear of the results and wonderful to see the girls who were at risk of dropping out of school, complete their high school examinations and receive their grades on the eve of International Women’s Day. The overall top student was a girl from the nearby Majhora village.”
The genesis for the coaching clinics came from a 2009 survey conducted by Rio Tinto Diamonds, where many of the girls expressed a desire to complete their exams. Evening coaching classes were set up in the villages and today there are 249 students (123 girls and 126 boys) studying in five coaching centres. The Bunder team has also invested significant energy in supporting children to stay at school by providing resources such as study desks, sports kits and library materials for more than 45 under-equipped schools.
“We have a vision for these children to share the benefits that new industries like ours bring to the region.
Improving educational opportunities and empowering girls in Madhya Pradesh – where female literacy rates are extremely low – is a particularly important objective”, said Santosh Pathak.
Women’s empowerment through health, nutrition, childcare and education and training initiatives has been a constant feature of the Bunder project’s work on the ground since 2004. In 2012 its inaugural jewellery collection, Courageous Spirit, was dedicated to the women of Madhya Pradesh.
About the Bunder diamond project
The Bunder diamond project was discovered in 2004 by Rio Tinto and in 2010 a State Support Agreement was signed with Government of Madhya Pradesh as an endorsement of the mutual commitment to the development of the project. An Inferred Resource (the first quantifiable estimate of an ore-body) has been defined as 37 million tonnes, containing 27.4 million carats. The Government of Madhya Pradesh gave in principle approval to the issue of a mining lease for the Bunder project via a “Letter of Intent” in January 2012. Rio Tinto is now working on the mine plan, environmental and forestry approvals required to execute a Mining Lease. At least rupees 2200 crore (US$500M) will be required to fully develop the Bunder diamond project. Once developed the Bunder diamond mine is expected to place Madhya Pradesh in the top ten diamond producing regions of the world. www.riotintoindia.com About Rio Tinto Diamonds Rio Tinto is one of the world’s major diamond producers through its 100 per cent control of the Argyle mine in Australia, 60 per cent of the Diavik mine in Canada, a 78 per cent interest in the Murowa mine in Zimbabwe. These three mines allow Rio Tinto to produce diamonds for all market segments. Rio Tinto also has an advanced diamond project in India. Rio Tinto’s share of the production from its three operating mines is sold through its Diamonds Sales and Marketing headquarters office in Antwerp, Belgium with representative offices in Mumbai, Hong Kong and New York. Rio Tinto Diamonds is a leading supporter of the Kimberley Process, a founding member of Responsible Jewellery Council and the first mining company to be certified by the Responsible Jewellery Council. Website: www.riotintodiamonds.com