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Small miners get Finnish support

Chargé d’Affaires of Finland, Anne Saloranta, together with the representatives from the Erongo Region Small Scale Miners Association and the Omba Arts Trust. Both received financial support from the Finnish Embassy in Namibia. The Fund for Local Cooperation is a local funding instrument administered by the Embassy. It has supported the promotion and realisation of human rights and democracy in Namibia for nearly 11 years, complementing other funding instruments made available by the Government of Finland.

Chargé d’Affaires of Finland, Anne Saloranta, together with the representatives from the Erongo Region Small Scale Miners Association and the Omba Arts Trust. Both received financial support from the Finnish Embassy in Namibia. The Fund for Local Cooperation is a local funding instrument administered by the Embassy. It has supported the promotion and realisation of human rights and democracy in Namibia for nearly 11 years, complementing other funding instruments made available by the Government of Finland.

Artisanal miners or so-called small miners are to benefit under a funding agreement from the Finnish government. Last week the Chargé d’Affaires a.i. of Finland, Ms. Anne Saloranta officiated at the signing of a funding agreement with the Erongo Region Small Scale Miners Project.
Erongo Region Small Scale Miners Project (ERSMA) was granted a total amount of Euro 80,000 for a one-year project which aims at building the capacity of ERSMA to provide support and assistance to the small scale mining community, thus improving the living standards of more than 1600 people. These are the small miners themselves as well as their dependent families. With informal small scale mining, it is common practice that the whole family helps with the mining effort.
The money will help to improve value addition through cutting and polishing services and by enhancing trade possibilities nationally and internationally. The Finnish funded project also seeks to raise awareness of issues in the small mining sector, including HIV/Aids and TB.

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