There can be no other mining company of this size with anything like the Banro Foundation, a registered charity in the DRC with a mandate to support education, health and infrastructure improvements, as well as provide humanitarian assistance as needed. Banro Corporation funds the Banro Foundation.

Junior explorer Banro has not only defined a huge gold resource in the east of the DRC, but is also contributing massively to local community development, technical advancement and employment. See also

A number of guiding principles steer Banro Foundation’s work as it focuses on needs identified by the local communities and invests in improvements that benefit communities as a whole. Whenever possible, the Foundation employs local labour in its initiatives.

In October the Banro Foundation officially opened its new community offices in Twangiza, Lugushwa and Namoya. These offices, each staffed by a local Banro Foundation secretary, are administrative centres for its work in promoting social and economic development.

A number of new community initiatives were launched as part of the inauguration ceremonies. New projects at Lugushwa include construction of a new medical clinic and the building of a Women’s Centre to be used for the teaching of sewing and other skills. Rehabilitation of the Lugushwa-Tukenga road is also planned.

At Namoya, new projects include rehabilitation of the local medical clinic and construction of the Sarambila Institute secondary school.

Projects proposed by the local Banro Foundation committee at Twangiza include the supply of potable water to the community, construction of three new schools and provision of stationary supplies to local schools.

The Banro Foundation has to date completed several social development projects. Among those have been a number of bridges, saving villagers considerable time and inconvenience in fording rivers. Most recently, the Foundation built the Ntiaso bridge and put in place the supply of potable water to a village in Lugushwa. It is also in the process of completing construction of the Kadubo bridge. Meanwhile, local residents in Namoya are finishing repairs to the Roman Catholic Church with building materials supplied by the Banro Foundation. The Foundation also provides writing supplies and desks, built by local carpenters, to primary schools. In the area of health care, it has focused on infrastructure development and distributes beds, blankets, and mosquito netting to medical clinics. Construction of roads and bridges is an ongoing priority.

The full Banro story will be told in International Mining early in 2008.