At Hummingbird Resources we are committed to demonstrating that responsible gold mining can play a progressive role and build a lasting positive legacy in the regions and communities we operate in and deliver sustainable returns to our shareholders.
Hummingbird is committed to providing sustainable community projects and livelihood programmes in the regions we operate in outside of the opportunities of employment at the mine sites at each operation. We look to support leaders and representatives from all stakeholders on an on-going basis, from holding regular meetings to address grievances, to carrying-out community projects and livelihood programmes.
Our community projects and livelihood programmes centre on positive planning for the future around the below key areas:
Key community development achievements
We believe that access to clean drinking water is not a privilege but a right for all. The Company since starting operations has had an annual programme of installing key water infrastructure systems to not only increase the access and distribution of safe drinking water, but also providing maintenance training programmes for delegates in the local villages, who can use their new skills to repair and upkeep water pumps on an on-going basis. Our investment in safe drinking water has brought tapped water to thousands of individuals who would otherwise have to choose between drinking dirty water or walking long distances to the nearest borehole. The company has an annual water infrastructure maintenance and improvement programmes in place. Since operations began the Company has installed:
14
LARGE SCALE WATER TOWERS3
DEEP BORE HOLES28
REHABILITATIONSOF KEY WATER
INFRASTRUCTURE
48
MARKET GARDEN WATER WELLSHummingbird has continued to sponsor 12 teachers at local schools since 2016, to assist in the delivery of education to some of Mali’s poorest rural communes. Elsewhere, we have partnered with Malian NGOs to offer vocational training programmes to youths, with topics ranging from boiler-making, welding, fencing and basic business schools, and we independently carry-out teaching workshops for local nurses and healthcare workers on an on-going basis.
Together with Critical Care International (“CCI”), a leading provider of healthcare solutions in remote areas (critcareint.com), Hummingbird has brought specialist professional healthcare to Yanfolila since construction on the mine began. Further, this framework is now being implemented by the Company at the Kouroussa gold mine in Guinea. We have assessed patients for minor and critical complaints, both improving general community health and delivering lifesaving, emergency care. We run educational workshops to inform employees and local communities on essential topics such as malaria, new-born resuscitation and sexual health. Through these workshops we hope to share the broader sentiment that responsibility towards individual health and the health of others is paramount.
Further, the Company carries out annual malaria indoor residual spraying (“IRS”) campaigns, as part of the fight against malaria in the local communities. This has led to a decline in malaria where the IRS campaigns have occurred both in the camp and in the villages where the workers live as detailed in the data charts below.
MARKET GARDENS
Since beginning operations, the Company has supported the development of local community market gardens, which currently number 16 (14 operating and 2 being built in 2022), providing sustainable alternative livelihood income for over 900 people, mainly local women, in the communities surrounding the Yanfolila mine. Similar programmes are now being rolled out at the Company’s Kouroussa gold mine in Guinea. Support provided includes: fencing; building infrastructure and maintenance, water infrastructure; tools supply and training in agriculture techniques.
POULTRY FARMS
The Company has supported the development of local poultry farms as a source of sustainable livelihood income for the local communities at the Yanfolila mine in Mali, and are now looking to do similar projects at our Kouroussa gold mine in Guinea. The current total number of poultry farms operating is 8, with over 60, mainly local youth, employed in their operations. Support provided by the Company includes: fencing; building infrastructure and maintenance; water infrastructure; poultry rearing training; and purchasing support of poultry produce to the mine.
HUMMINGBIRD TREE INITIATIVE
As part of our license to operate, the Company is required to implement biodiversity restoration programmes to the equivalent of c.170 hectares of tree planting at our mine in Yanfolila, Mali. This process has begun in 2020, with over 40 hectares and over 18,000 trees planted as at the end of 2021 (see annual report for details).
Plans are being developed to go beyond this requirement as we see this a key biodiversity benefit for the local region, coupled with greenhouse gas capturing benefits from tree planting and growth in general. Further, to enhance the alternative livelihood programmes at our local communities, the Company started the ‘Hummingbird Tree Initiative’ whereby through training and infrastructures support, the trees required for our annual biodiversity requirement would be cultivated at the local market gardens and purchased by the Company, versus being bought by external nursey providers. This initiative started in 2020 and has been successful not only in providing seedlings for the annual restoration requirements, but also in providing increased income for the local communities, coupled with tangible benefits in terms of trees reaching maturity when planted, as local communities are more involved in their initial and subsequent nurturing of trees planted.
The Company has initiated multiple training and other livelihood initiatives with the local communities surrounding the Yanfolila mine in Mali and are looking to do similar projects at our Kouroussa gold mine in Guinea which are ongoing on an annual basis including:
Shea butter processing techniques
19 women benefited from Yallankoro-Soloba commune.
Soap manufacturing
300 women benefited from Yallankoro-Soloba, Djallon-Foula and Sere Moussa Ani Samou, three communes.
Honey initiative
Ongoing training on beehive and honey manufacturing: 32 men benefited from Yallankoro-Soloba commune.
Cashew nut cultivation
25 women benefited from Sere Moussa Ani Samou.
Market Garden agricultural techniques
900 women from three communes, Yallankoro-Soloba, Djallon-Foula and Sere Moussa Ani Samou.
Mechanical traineeships at the mine
26 youth benefited from the three communes, Yallankoro-Soloba, Djallon-Foula and Sere Moussa Ani Samou