22Oct Moyo Gems Project Update 2021
Despite all of the challenges of the last 18 months, the Moyo Gems project with the artisanal gemstone miners in Tanga, Tanzania, has continued successfully.
Our local team comprised of members of the Tanzanian Women Miners' Association (TAWOMA), Pact and our export agent completed more market day events, where we bought rough gem material directly from the miners. The way we conduct the market days means that 95% of the money from the sales goes directly to the miner and benefits their communities. The other 5% is the fee to the broker who assists the miners with the sales process (as a legal requirement).
The rough material that we purchase is shipped from Tanzania to our cutting workshop in Sri Lanka, so that we can maintain the integrity of our supply chain and the traceability of our gemstones. We expect that the cut stones from the most recent market day in October will be in the UK by early 2022.
The next stage for the programme is to expand to another region in Tanzania and also to begin working with miners in Kenya. We look forward to working on these exciting developments in 2022.
https://www.nationaljeweler.com/articles/10369-moyo-gems-is-expanding-into-kenya
A huge "THANK YOU" goes to the team from Pact and the ladies of TAWOMA, without whom this would not be possible.
The Moyo Gems project ensures that the miners receive the maximum revenue for the gemstones that they sell, as well as offering workshops to increase their knowledge about the gems they find and how to mine the stones more safely. At least 10% of the sales price of every Moyo gem is reinvested into the programme to help support these additional activities for the miners.
For more information, refer to the Moyo website - https://moyogems.com/
(photos courtesy of Cristina Villegas and Norbet Massay of Pact)