IAMGOLD : Rosebel donates food parcels to surrounding communities in Suriname

Rosebel donates food parcels to surrounding communities in Suriname

'I think it's good that Rosebel Gold Mines provide the elderly in the surrounding villages with a food package. The Company helped to relieve the need,' Captain Gerson Mosesie, of the village of Baling, says approvingly as he watches the loading of the food packages just outside the warehouse of Combe Markt. 'The elders of the village of Baling appreciate this gesture of RGM. You came as a lifesaver in need.'

Mireille Emanuel, one of the senior residents of the village of Nyun Jacobkondre, breathes a sigh of relief when she gets her hands on a package. 'Buying a packet of chicken legs in Paramaribo is very expensive,' she explains. This month, she doesn't have to buy the pricey poultry.

Donating food parcels to senior citizens is an initiative of the Rosebel Gold Mines management and implemented by the Community Relations Department. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was decided that the Company would provide a total of 630 food parcels to the most vulnerable groups in the surrounding communities. Donations were made to senior citizens aged 65 years and older, families of 5 or more people, and villagers with disabilities. The package has a value of SRD 400 (before the unification of the rate) and consists of 14 items, including a packet of legs, yellow peas, sugar and 5 kg of semi super rice. On September 30th, the last packages were delivered to the villagers of the largest village, Brownsweg.

According to Captain Mosesie, RGM did not only donate food parcels, but also immediately ensured that villagers, who do not have a broad financial base, spent less.