News Briefs: August 31, 2006
Mining expansion in Peru threatens communities
ANCASH, Peru–The people of this coastal department (province) live between two very different mountain ranges, the Cordillera Blanca, or “white mountain range,” and Cordillera Negra, the “black mountain range.” The names reveal a simple truth: one range has a wealth of snow and water, while the other has nearly none. It is in the dry Cordillera Negra where a Canadian mining company, Barrick Gold, is expanding its operations and threatening the water resources that farming communities rely upon.
Barrick Gold’s expansion follows a surge in consumer spending on gold jewellery, which recorded $11.4 billion in sales in the second quarter of 2006. Ironically, the departments of Peru with the heaviest concentration of mining are also the poorest. In Cajamarca, for instance, over half its people live in extreme poverty despite being home to the world’s most profitable gold mine.
CLWR is active in Ancash, working with local partner Diaconia-Peru on environmental and social issues. According to Sophie Gebreyes, CLWR program director for Latin America, “Water is a very scarce resource in the area. Mining could impact small farmers in several river basins.”
–CLWR News Service with files from Latinamerica Press, International Mining Magazine, Inter Press Service News Agency
How to pack your donated goods
It may sometimes seem that CLWR is very selective when it comes to accepting donated goods, but maintaining consistency is important for a number of reasons. As shipping costs increase, it is more important than ever to ensure that CLWR selects and sends goods that are of the most use to people in need.
The We Care program is an easy way to ensure that 100 percent of what you donate will be used. Using the cheerful yellow We Care bags made by artisans in India, you can complete one of seven essential kits for overseas shipment. The cloth We Care bags remain useful long after the kit has been received by someone in need.
It’s simple to do:
- Check out our We Care instructions online at www.clwr.org;
- Order your bags and/or quilt tags for a suggested donation of $5 each to cover overseas shipping;
- Assemble the kit into the We Care bag, following instructions;
- Ship the bag to CLWR.
Please note that it is very important to send cheques or cash in an envelope separately to CLWR and not inside a kit. We Care bags should never be packed with items that are not listed in the instructions.
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