KEMET’s Partnership for Social and Economic Sustainability (the “KEMET Partnership”) is making a substantial humanitarian impact in Kisengo, a conflict-free tantalum mining region in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The company has made contributions to the KEMET Partnership for projects such as a school, medical clinic, fresh water wells, solar street lighting, as well as road and bridge repairs.
Supplies delivered to Kisengo consisted of a variety of medical and school equipment, including 2,000 Duracell LED flashlights intended to enhance reading, safety and mobility for the school children. Flashlight acquisition and delivery was facilitated by Tansoo of Boca Raton, Florida.
“Seeing the children in Kisengo hold flashlights for the first time and their reaction of pure joy is impactful,” said Per Loof, KEMET Chief Executive. “For many of us, we take light for granted. But for the community in Kisengo, a flashlight can profoundly change a child’s life.”
Delivering supplies to the DRC is challenging due to geography, lack of infrastructure, civil unrest and other factors.
“These supplies help the people of Kisengo enhance their standards of living and build a sustainable foundation of lasting prosperity and security,” said Loof. “KEMET is proud of the positive, lasting contributions we are making as we work to overcome the issues that perpetuate conflict and empower the DRC’s mineworkers, their families and communities. We believe the KEMET Partnership can serve as a blueprint for responsible companies worldwide and demonstrate that solutions combining social sustainability and economic interests are not mutually exclusive.”
Since 2010, KEMET has taken a leading role in a project that focused on the sourcing of conflict-free tantalum ores from the DRC. This resulted in one of the electronics industry’s first comprehensive, socially and economically sustainable sourcing models based on tantalum ore from the DRC and culminated in the only closed pipe, vertically integrated conflict-free supply chain.
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