But what about environmental impact?


Mining company sets villagers on path to prosperity
 
Vientiane Times, 24 Feb 2010
 
Villagers living near a large copper and gold mining project in
Xaysomboun district, Vientiane province, have been able to run small
businesses and make a profit thanks to support from the project.
 
The Phu Bia Mining Company (PBM) initiated the Livelihood Improvement
Programme at the end of last year, aiming to help people who live
around the mining site to make a living without having to work for the
multi-national conglomerate.
 
The programme provides villagers with training opportunities and
funding so they can open small and medium sized businesses.
 
The programme also aims to improve public relations between the mining
company and local villagers.
 
Ms Joom, a resident of Nam Mo village, learnt agriculture and farming
techniques through the programme.
 
According to a media statement issued by the Phu Bia Mining Company,
Ms Joom used the knowledge she learnt from a training course to set up
a mushroom farm. She harvests about 25 kilograms of mushrooms every
three weeks and sells them at local markets, earning about 500,000
kip.
 
The current price of mushrooms in Xaysomboun district is about 20,000
kip per kilogram.
 
In the statement, General Manager of the company's Phu Kham Mine
Operations, Mr Rob Usher, said based on research data and feedback
from local communities, the company realised that the main barrier to
small business success for local people was availability of capital.
 
“Although Ms Joom had the skills necessary to start her own business,
she did not have enough money saved to buy mushroom spawn and other
materials. But she was able to borrow the one million kip she needed
to set up her business from the Village Saving and Credit Fund,
established jointly by PMB and the Women's Union from Xaysomboun
district,” Mr Usher was quoted as saying in the statement.
 
Ms Joom said she was very grateful for the training as well as the
work the company has done with the Women's Union to provide access to
finance. She is hopeful that the combination of skills training and
affordable credit will give other villagers opportunities to improve
their standard of living.
 
Ms Joom formed a group of five people to take out a loan from the
fund. One million kip was borrowed for a term of three months at an
interest rate of 2 percent, said the statement.
 
She said the training offered by PMB and the access to affordable
credit will give other villagers the opportunity to improve their
standard of living.
 
In the public relations statement, Mr Usher said it was rewarding for
PMB to see people like Ms Joom making improvements to their family's
life and making meaningful contributions to economic and community
development in Laos .
 
Phu Bia Mining Company is a subsidiary of PanAust, the second largest
mining company in Laos after Sepon in Vilaboury district, Savannakhet
province. The company began mining operations in Vientiane province in
2006.