| Women find their footing in mines | Send to a friend |
| Wednesday, 18 August 2010 08:30 |
 By George Sembony, KorogweIn 1980, Mwanahamisi Peter, then an energetic young woman, travelled to Moshi where she thought she could change her life through employment. Her sister lived in the plush Municipality which is home to people who are thought to have the necessary techniques to make money. “I heard that business was lucrative at Kalalani, a mining area known for its sapphire and other precious stones. I took the initiative to travel to this wonderful place to try my luck,” says Mwanahamisi. She says she was lucky to get married to a famous mine owner, Peter Chirwa, famously known as Peter Garnet for his discovery of the red garnet mines. She said that she began work as an artisanal miner but later acquired a prospecting license. Mwanahamisi is one of the few examples of women who struggle to try out what was originally a male domain. A report by the International Labour Office (ILO) estimates that as many as 4 million of the world's 13 million small-scale miners are female, though many work part-time. In Asia the proportion of women workers is less than 10 per cent, with most of their activities limited to sorting, packaging and preparation of materials for shipping. In Latin America the proportion is somewhat higher, with women accounting for anywhere from 10-20 per cent of the workforce, whereas in Africa the participation of women is even higher, reaching 60 per cent in some mining areas. Women in Africa are actively involved in the processing of raw materials, including crushing, grinding, sieving, washing and transporting of minerals. In some mining centres, these activities are even dominated by women who undertake them at home, thereby exposing entire families to high risks of silicosis and mercury poisoning. Although women rarely work underground, they can be found panning for gold or raking the surface of deposits in search of small amounts of raw material. “Mining is very difficult, especially for women, but I have been successful to some extent because am able to pay for the education of my children,” she said. Mwanahamisi, who is now the chairperson of Tanzania Women Miners Association (TAWOMA), Kalalani Branch, said that women were trying hard to work in the mines but were being frustrated by lack of equipment. She has stopped operations at her mine pit because she now needs better equipment to move on from where she left. “We depend on support from friends… My husband has been helping in this venture but we get very little because we lack the necessary equipment to dig deeper towards where the gemstones are,” said Mwanahamisi. She said the government must support them to enable them acquire equipment such as excavators which increase effectiveness in the mining industry. Despite being bogged down by various problems, including lack of capital and equipment to develop her mining claim, Mwanahamisi still believes she can make it and warns that if women continue to depend on men they will continue lagging behind in terms of development. With the new Mining Act, which seeks to introduce major changes in the sector now having been passed by the Parliament this week, perhaps Mwanahamisi’s problems could be lessened. The Mining Act reserves mining of gemstones to locals and foreigners must enter into joint ventures with locals if they are keen on venturing into the sector. Meanwhile, the legislation makes it mandatory for the government to set aside specific areas for small-scale miners in order to avert conflicts with big miners. Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites           |
