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Our Community

​​​​​​​​​​​​Our Community

Investment in the future of communities during and beyond the life of our operations remains core to Debswana.

Debswana’s primary support for community development in Botswana comes through the revenues  its operations generate for the Government, along with jobs created and sustained, as well as resultant increases in living standards for communities associated with our work.

We are committed to ensuring that the impact of our operations is beneficially experienced by associated communities. Debswana manages community relations in accordance with international standards for community engagement, consultation and support.


Debswana runs a holistic Wellness Programme across the company, with full-time Counsellors and a psychologist who leads the programme. The integrated employee wellness programme not only holistically addresses issues of employee health, but also their wellbeing in the workplace.​

In 2001, Debswana was the first company in the world to offer free Anti-Retroviral Therapy to any infected employee and their spouse.There has been a significant evolution and advancement in the HIV/AIDS programme to a point where employees, their legally married spouses and up to three children under the age of 21 receive 100% subsidy from the company for the cost of Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART), prophylactic and opportunistic infections treatment and related monitoring tests.

Find out more about our HIV/AIDS Programme

HIV/AIDS Lesson Debswana is the first company in the world to administer anti-retroviral therapy to its employees HIV/AIDS Lesson:​ Debswana is the first company in the world to administer anti-retroviral therapy to its employees

Corporate Social Investment

The Company’s Corporate Social Investment (CSI) is an important part of Debswana's Social Performance programme and is implemented through the Social Way Framework which seeks to minimise social risks, manage likely impacts that may be due to the Company's activities and maximise socio-economic benefits. The strategic focus areas of Debswana's CSI are informed by the shareholders' priorities for social investment, National Vision 2036 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Debswana focuses on the goal of Sustainable Communities.

The focus area will enable Debswana to respond to community needs in the following areas:

  • Water and sanitation services
  • Enterprise development (community based revenue generating projects that also include innovation and technology based solutions);
  • Childhood development;
  • Sports Development;
  • Enhancement or development of health and education facilities, as well as basic housing;
  • Skills development programmes to develop transferable skills in potential labour force to enable community members to access diverse jobs;
  • Indigenous knowledge and cultural heritage; and
  • Capacity development 

Education​​​ Diamonds have helped Botswana to educate its nation.

In line with Vision 2036 pillar of Human and Social Development, Debswana is dedicated to improving education and skills development of the nation of Botswana.

Debswana runs an apprenticeship program from its Jwaneng and Orapa operations producing artisans who go on to become sought after employees.

OLDM owns and runs four co-educational private schools for the children of employees and other critical stakeholders being; Tawana Pre-Primary School, Bathoen House Primary School, Boteti House Primary School and Livingstone House Primary School

Acacia Primary School at Jwaneng is a Debswana-owned, multicultural and co-educational Pre and Primary school that offers education to children of Debswana employees as well as residents of the Jwaneng community.

Tuition fees for mine employees' children at the schools are highly subsidized.

Education

Supporting Community Health

In Botswana, our fully funded mine hospitals provide medical services to mine employees but also act as district hospitals for the communities surrounding our mines.

In addition to the BWP 65 million spent at each of our two mine hospitals, more than BWP 1.5 million was invested in health and welfare programmes in 2013.

In Orapa, as is also the case in Jwaneng, Debswana runs a hospital and schools. Orapa Mine hospital has, for the third time, been accredited since it entered into the Council for Health Service Accreditation of Southern Africa (COHSASA) programme in 2000. The hospital is licenced to operate 110 beds and currently has 65 beds, 11 Doctors, two dentists and support departments inclusive of a laboratory, radiography, physiotherapy and pharmacy.

The hospital provides health services to mine employees, Orapa community and serves as a referral hospital for the district of Boteti