After thirteen years, two primary schools in the remote villages of Bedok and Sarzay of district Chagai have reopened, with the support and efforts of the Reko Diq Mining Company (RDMC), a joint venture between Barrick and the governments of Balochistan and Pakistan.
This initiative is part of RDMC’s commitment to community development while developing a world-class,copper-gold mine in the Reko Diq area, a press release issued on Friday said.
RDMC’s community investment portfolio is guided by the Community Development Committees (CDC), which have local stakeholders and community leaders as key members.
The CDC of the Fan Sediment area of the Reko Diq project, in which these two villages are located, proposed the reopening of the primary schools so that the local communities’ children can have access to quality education.
RDMC responded by hiring teachers to make the schools functional and provided free uniforms, books and stationery to the students. As the original school buildings are in dilapidated condition due to years of disuse, the process to rebuild the infrastructure of the schools will be initiated soon by RDMC. For now, classes are being held in alternative spaces offered by local communities eager for their children to begin learning.
Giving details of RDMC’s educational initiatives, Community Investment Team Lead, Mohammad Essa Tahir said, “Education is one of the five pillars of sustainable development on which the company’s community investment program is based, which includes access to health, water and environment, food security and local economic development.
Currently, we support seven primary schools in our project area, serving 368 children, and we aim to expand our educational initiatives throughout the Chagai district to provide more opportunities for learning and skill development.”
In addition to educational initiatives, RDMC has partnered with Hunar Foundation to establish a training center in Nokkundi, to enhance local employability through various skill development programs. So far, 286 students, both men and women, have enrolled in courses including IT, pipefitting, office assistance, electrical work, carpentry, and masonry.
For local women, a new stitching course has also been launched, emphasizing high-quality garment production.
RDMC aims for these women to eventually produce workwear for use at the Reko Diq mine site.
RDMC is committed to develop long-term relationships and a development strategy with our local communities based on trust, respect, transparency and partnership. Reko Diq will be a multigenerational mine with a life of at least 40 years. All of RDMC’s community development initiatives are designed to deliver sustainable benefits to the local communities.
