How to donate money to help stop child mining in the Congo

Center of the American Experiment and Mining Minnesota launched a joint campaign to educate Minnesotans about the importance of leading the world in responsible mineral development here at home.

If we ban mining in Minnesota, where we have some of the strongest protections for workers and the environment in the world, production will shift to countries where these protections are weak, if they even exist at all.

Center of the American Experiment’s recently-released study Updating Prosperity found that responsibly developing Minnesota’s mineral resources could create up to 14,500 new jobs and add nearly $6 billion to Minnesota’s annual GDP.

We don’t have to wait for these jobs to start making a difference globally, though. We can donate to the Congo Children Trust, a charity that helps some of the children who work in cobalt mines in the Congo. According to Global Giving:

Every day, young children are being exploited to work in the artisanal mines in DR Congo. The hours are long and they are often threatened with violence, all for 8p a day. Operating in Katanga province, close to these mines, Kimbilio is able to offer support to some of these young children; transforming their lives from exploitation to a hope-filled future. Kimbilio offers holistic support to children who have lost contact with their families and are trying their best just to survive.

Supporting responsible copper-nickel mining in Minnesota is an important step, but also donating to help stop child mining in the Congo is even better. I made a personal donation, and if you have the means, I’d encourage you to do the same.

Let’s give child mining the one-two punch.