The Diamond Development Initiative (DDI), an American charity aimed at improving the living conditions of small individual diamond miners in Africa, announced that it has once again received financial support from Rubel & Ménasché. This Parisian company, which has been supporting DDI since 2012, is a member of the Responsible Jewelery Council and specializes in the wholesale supply of high-quality diamonds.
The contribution of Rubel & Ménasché will provide DDI with support for several projects, including a major initiative in the Democratic Republic of the Congo that will enable the integration of more than 50,000 prospectors into the diamond mining industry.
In Sierra Leone, DDI works with local leaders and civil society to identify areas where diamonds can be extracted in an environmentally sound manner and where prospectors will get a fair price for them, working in a safe environment. The diamonds they harvest will be tracked at the stages of sale, polishing and delivery to retailers, so that end-users receive precious stones that meet the standards of industry ethics and fair trade.
If successful, these projects will revolutionize the future for prospectors and their communities, which are estimated to account for 16% of global diamond production.