Sustainability

Community Development

At Dikulushi, the early success of the project meant that Anvil was able to invest in schools, water supplies, hospital improvements, health care, recreational facilities, road bridges and other community infrastructure soon after the start of production.

The long term aim of the program is to create sustainable diverse communities capable of continued economic development independent of mining. Anvil has so far invested more than $18 million in projects identified as priorities by community representatives.

The programs include:

Education – The Company has built 8 schools and renovated 10 in the region around the Dikulushi and Kinsevere mines, where Anvil continues to provide equipment and contributions to running costs.

Regional business – Working with DRC enterprises, Anvil is helping to establish a strong, competitive service sector, providing construction and maintenance support for the operations.

Local business - This initiative includes the construction of two permanent market places to provide well designed stalls for more than 200 local micro-enterprises. At the same time, 10 Women’s Savings Groups with 315 members have been established to develop savings and micro-enterprise networks, reinforced with literacy and numeracy classes. At Mutoshi, the Company has established a co-operative gravel making venture to provide safe, alternative employment for artisanal miners. Using Donor contributions, Anvil and its partners are creating additional research and pilot projects for alternative employment, in part, to prevent the exploitation of child labour.

Water supplies - In an extensive program to improve local water supplies, Anvil has installed 48 water wells in more than 15 communities. The initiative has provided clean drinking water for local residents, significantly reducing adverse health effects from contaminated water. Construction of a 27km gravity-fed water pipeline to bring water to an estimated population of over 25,000 has been completed in 2008 at a cost of over $2 million. To support the sustainability of these efforts, We have created local water management committees – and provided the committees with technical training.

Health – Community health programs include the establishment of community clinics (3 health clinics) and the refurbishment of the district hospital at Kilwa and the hospital at Kolwezi.

Agriculture – The Company established 40 Farmers Contact groups representing 1,780 farmers. Advice, training and multiplications sites helped to produce 20 tons of peanut, bean, soybean, sunflower and vegetables in the initial agricultural support programs.

Infrastructure – Anvil’s projects have included Company-funded public roads, bridges and power supplies. In addition, the Company is working with local government institutions to develop infrastructure that will support responsible resource investment and development. This includes a commitment to provide $5 million of financing assistance to the DRC electricity company, SNEL, to be amortized against Anvil’s power usage at Kinsevere. In a similar project, Anvil is installing electrical infrastructure in Lubumbashi for the supply of electrical power to Kinsevere, which SNEL will own and for which Anvil will be reimbursed. The Company has also contributed $200,000 towards the necessary upgrading of the Luano Airport at Lubumbashi to improve the transportation network of the Katanga province.  The Company is also investing over $12 million to refurbish the National Road #5 between Kilwa and Kasemeno over a distance of 192 klm.