Project Summary:
Members of Malawi Women In Mining Association (MAWIMA) and the Zambia Women In Mining Association (ZWIMA) are in gemstone mining/buying and selling, limestone mining, quarrystone mining, making of salt, pottery making, brick making, and river sand extraction among others
The biggest challenge that the Malawi and Zambia Women In Mining has faced in spite of their wealth in semi-precious gemstone minerals and mineral deposits, has been the lack of knowledge/ skills necessary to add value by refining these items.
At this point, the in-ground semi-precious gemstone wealth will never be realized unless Malawians Zambians are able to add value to the rough material once it is retrieved from the mines.
Presently the full and real value that a finished and faceted gemstone and or piece of jewelry is never realized. The gemstone market is a multi-billion dollar industry with a marketplace that reaches around the world, but yet neither Malawi nor Zambia realizes the full impact of the potential revenues. The countries that purchases the material are adding the value that Malawi and Zambia lacks, for instance the countries that are cutting and faceting the rough into finished gemstones, for rings bracelets are being made very wealthy.
It is the desire of MAWIMA and ZWIMA to develop and market comprehensive and innovative product lines to intelligently compete in all areas, with the goal of obtaining significant and profitable global market share.
Members of MAWIMA and ZWIMA are convinced that the mining sector in the country cannot have the desired impact without the full integration of the indigenous population of people in general, and specifically the women.
It is the purpose of this proposal in particular, to implement Edu-TeleCenters which will provide gemstone training, literacy, healthcare and negotiation skills development programs through policy action instruments and a framework, which involves them as active agents and participants in mining and all economic sectors.
The ResourceLinC Edu-TeleCenters will be community based providing tools, resources and programs where local small miners in the area will be able to borrow picks, shovels, wheel barrows and etc. so that they can begin mining their claims. In addition, heavy equipment like earthmovers, excavators and jackhammers will be rotated within the community for the more demanding mining requirements.
ResourceLinC has entered into a marketing agreement with MAWIMA and ZWIMA to secure contractual agreements from various organizations and foundations in the United States and other international countries that are interested in reselling the Malawi and Zambian made jewelry items. At that point, ResourceLinC as the marketing organization will sub-contract the manufacture of the jewelry items to the Malawi and Zambia Women In Mining Association who will in turn hire those who have been trained.
It has been agreed that fifty percent of the net revenues realized from the sale of the items will be split between the Malawi and Zambia Women In Mining for the operation of the facilities, profits and etc., and EMG-Africa to provide healthcare programs for the 0-5 year old children, pregnant mothers.
We have identified several US organizations who has expressed a desire to resell the Malawi manufactured jewellery.
