Kinross partners with Project C.U.R.E. to deliver $7 million in donated medical supplies
Kinross’ diverse global footprint is one of the Company’s strengths. We leverage that diversity to share best practices and deepen skills sets, and last month, we saw how our global network is also able to enhance our commitment to corporate responsibility.
For the first time, half-a-dozen volunteers from our Denver office collaborated on a West Africa project that ultimately will see $7 million in donated medical equipment being delivered to Mauritania and Ghana over the next three years. The effort is part of a long-standing partnership between Kinross and Project C.U.R.E., an NGO that provides donated medical supplies to countries in need.
On May 1, volunteers from our Denver office helped load a large container with medical supplies – everything from hospital beds and wheelchairs through scrubs and syringes. Two weeks later, the container left the port of New York. It is destined to arrive in the Mauritanian capital of Nouakchott by the end of June when the contents will be distributed to four medical centres in the city and to communities close to our Tasiast mine.
The idea for Denver’s participation came from John Mudge, Director of Environmental Affairs in Denver, who had been involved in Project C.U.R.E. in a previous job. He told the HR team in Denver about the opportunity and when they realized that our team in West Africa was also supporting Project C.U.R.E., it seemed like the perfect fit for a volunteer activity.
“Working beside Kinross and Project C.U.R.E. volunteers was an amazing experience. We are so pleased to be reaching many of the communities we operate in and beyond,” says Belinda Joiner, Senior Recruiter for the Americas, who works at our Denver office.
The Denver office is planning the next employee volunteer event at the end of May to load a container that is being sent to Ghana.
Kinross began partnering with Project C.U.R.E in 2012. In the first two years, we sent five containers of donated medical supplies, with a total value of $2.5 million, which were distributed to three regional hospitals and ten health centres across Mauritania.
In 2014, in the midst of the Ebola crisis, our West African team extended the cargo operation to Ghana and expanded our partnership to include Helping Babies Breathe, Project C.U.R.E’s specialized program in maternal and neonatal care.
Under the new agreement with Project C.U.R.E., a total of 15 containers will be sent, eight to Ghana and seven to Mauritania. The first container arrived in early May in Mauritania and is destined for clinics on the border of Mali, where the need is particularly acute.
“We hope that through our partnership with Project C.U.R.E., not only on the delivery of medical equipment but also the implementation of the Helping Babies Breathe Program, we will be able to help the people of Mauritania and Ghana,” says Fabiana Illescas, Regional Community Relations Manager for Africa. “It’s also great to see the global Kinross community come together to support this very worthwhile cause.”
Denver volunteers from left to right: Belinda Joiner, Senior Recruiter, Americas; Mara Van Wormer, US Benefits Specialist; Florence Boyer-Souchet, Generation Gold Environmental Engineer; Margaret Sams, AP Specialist; Dave Truitt, Project C.U.R.E. volunteer; Claudia Castro, Manager, Geological & Systems Database
Container contents: everything from dental chairs to scalpels
Denver volunteers packing the container on May 1
Container arrives in Néma, eastern Mauritania in mid-May
Container arrives in Adel Bagrou, eastern Mauritania in mid-May
Container arrives in Amourj, eastern Mauritania in mid-May
