Bulyanhulu Gold Mine is determined to leave a lasting legacy to the hosting community that will see successive generations sustainably benefiting enormously.
Just as the great Greek Philosopher, Socrates clearly put it “Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel,” then if any society longs to make a positive contribution to develop its people, there is no legacy that lasts generations like education. It then makes a lot of sense that Bulyanhulu Gold Mine is making great investment in girls’ education in a community where girls’ education is affected by gender disparities.
According to Socrates a flame once kindled expands greatly in shape and size and becomes self-sustaining and self-perpetuating. A vessel is fixed in size and shape and can hold limited items.
It is on this principle that investing in education makes it the greatest legacy anyone can leave behind that will positively impact the lives of others. By adding value to other people’s lives, you are unknowingly leaving footprints on the sands of time that lives forever.
Bulyanhulu Girls Secondary, a modern boarding school of its kind built under the full sponsorship of Bulyanhulu Gold Mine through Corporate Social Responsibility, will remain as one of the great development hallmark to the people of Kahama and Nyang’hwale, the two districts whose communities borders the mine.
The school which is in the final stage of constructions ready to start enrolling students in January 2023, will be groundbreaking for girl’s education in the area where gender stereotype and education inequality is prevalent. This provides the most suitable environment for girls to gain an education by catering to all their essential needs. The school is very safe for girls as it eliminates the major safety concerns that are widespread among girls in the society.
The twelve classrooms school, located at Busulwangili village in Kahama district, will start with all necessary facilities like administration block that consists of head of School office, second master/mistress office, teacher’s office, accountant office, procurement office and general office.
It will also consist of two dormitories with the capacity of accommodating 80 students each, dining hall, two science laboratories, two – two in one teachers houses and 8 toilets holes.
“Each dormitory has 20 rooms, each room will accommodate four students, the aim is to ensure that girls are well accommodated so they concentrate on making their dreams come true,” says James Mutasa, the teacher who supervises the construction of the school.
As a clue to what extent Bulyanhulu Gold Mine is resolute on girls’ education, the school already has 320 pairs of chairs and tables, waiting for the girls to start scripting their future come January 2023.
Bulynahulu boarding school offers an all-girls boarding school advantages as there will be a greater sense of liberation in interaction that prevails in such educational institutions, the members of a similar gender can establish better communication, the specific stereotypes and gender-bias regarding the abilities of the girls do not exist in an all-girls boarding schools and will support them get extra opportunities to discover their talents and interests.
Owing to the fact that education is the key of life and passport to the future and that the future is built at present and the truth that tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today, Bulyanhulu Gold Mine is not only leaving a legacy but more importantly, its building the future of the nation.
Bulyanhulu Gold Mine General Manager Cheick Sangari said the mine is doing all in its effort to invest in key sectors that will ensure sustainable development for the hosting community. “We are doing this not only for a good relationship with our neighboring community, but more important to leave a lasting legacy.”
According to UNICEF, investing in girls’ education transforms communities, countries and the entire world. Girls who receive an education are less likely to marry young and more likely to lead healthy, productive lives. They earn higher incomes, participate in the decisions that most affect them, and build better futures for themselves and their families.
Girls’ education strengthens economies and reduces inequality. It contributes to more stable, resilient societies that give all individual, including boys and men, the opportunity to fulfill their potential.
But education for girls is about more than access to school. It’s also about girls feeling safe in classrooms and supported in the subjects and careers they choose to pursue, including those in which they are often underrepresented.
By investing heavily in girls’ education Bulyanhulu Gold Mine is not only echoing the UNICEF conviction on girls’ education by action but also solving the problem of gender disparities in education. Staying in boarding school will relieve girls with forced domestic work that creates low self-esteem in girls and a lack of interest in education.
By keeping the girls at school the Barrick subsidiary is relieving girls with adult responsibilities, like taking care of sick parents or babysitting siblings which tend to fall on girls at home.
Around the world, girls spend 40% more time performing unpaid chores, including cooking, cleaning, and collecting water and firewood, than boys. Some of these chores put girls in danger of encountering sexual violence.
Bulyanhulu Girls boarding school will save the girls in the mine neighboring community from gender-based violence which takes many forms, including physical and sexual abuse, harassment, and bullying. The move will keep them from risks associated with day schooling like rape, coercion, discrimination, and other types of abuse that affects girls’ education by lowering their participation and achievements, that increases absenteeism and dropout rates.
Globally it is estimated that 246 million girls and boys are harassed and abused on their way to school every year, but girls are disproportionately targeted.
In Tanzania almost 1 in 4 girls who experienced sexual violence reported the incident while traveling to or from school, and nearly 17% reported at least one incident occurred at school or on school property.
Parents are less likely to let their daughters travel to school if they have to travel long unsafe distances. By keeping girls in boarding school Bulyanhulu Gold Mine supports economic growth, promotes peace, and even helps fight climate change. To protect future generations, the nation must first invest in resources and policies that help prevent the obstacles for girls education.
The mining sector has been identified as vital for the achievement of the UN SDGs and the post-2030 sustainable development goals, not only for its role in providing the minerals needed to enable the green transition, but also because of its ability to drive socio-economic development and build resilience.