(PRESS RELEASE) Gemfields is to further enhance responsible sourcing in the colored gemstone sector by launching the Gemfields Foundation, a charitable vessel to facilitate a greater number of activations in sub-Saharan Africa that are designed to benefit both communities and conservation.
The move comes in response to increasing demand from prospective donors. A decade into operating mines in Africa, Gemfields has received numerous approaches from visitors expressing their interest in actively becoming involved in the communities they have visited.
Over the years, Gemfields has facilitated several charitable initiatives requested by third parties and has provided both expertise and management to bring them to life alongside its core business activities. Examples include a new classroom block for the Chapula primary school in Zambia, funded by a private individual and further extended by Gemfields in later years. To date, the Foundation has facilitated the gifting of footballs to primary school pupils and the creation of a toilet block at the Kapila primary school with generously donated funds from private individuals.
With the launch of the Foundation, Gemfields is providing a formal mechanism by which to manage and scale-up new projects aimed at alleviating poverty in host communities and furthering vital conservation efforts in sub-Saharan Africa.
Gemfields Foundation is a UK registered charity that functions quite unlike most charities: 100% of donor funds are directed, in full, to the underlying charitable projects. All overhead, administration, travel and management costs are borne fully by Gemfields Limited and its subsidiary companies. The result is a charitable endeavour that enjoys, at no cost to donors, excellent in-country experience, personnel, infrastructure, support and community liaison teams, uniquely positioning Gemfields Foundation to deliver impactful projects in a highly efficient and timely fashion.