11 November 2023
MRM makes a donation to Cabo Delgado football club
In a show of support, Montepuez Ruby Mining gifted sporting equipment to the Athletic Club of Montepuez, which will enable the football team to compete at a higher level.
The gift was valued at MZN 585,162 and consisted of uniforms, socks, cleats, tracksuits, goal nets, balls, replacement plates, shin guards, marker cones, goalkeeper gloves and training vests. This contribution will mean that the team, which was formed in 1945 and is ranked second in the local league, will be able to participate in provincial level competitions.
It is also hoped that MRM’s support of the local club will help motivate the football team to realise their dream of reaching the Moçambola, Mozambique’s largest national football competition. This is further evidence of the Montepuez-based ruby mine’s commitment to using profits from coloured gemstones to enhance the quality of life in the local community close to the mine. Supporting youth and education has always been a key focus of MRM’s outreach efforts.
“MRM and Gemfields believe that rubies should bring maximum benefit to Mozambicans. Supporting sports such as football, which engages young people in a positive and healthy activity, is just one way that we hope local communities can enjoy the benefits brought by MRM,” explained MRM’s Head of Corporate Responsibility, Zefanias Mawawa.
The donation was very well received. “The sports equipment delivered by MRM arrived at the time when the club needed it most and will increase the team’s morale,” said Ângelo Tavares, the Athletic Club’s vice-president.
Other examples of MRM’s support of sport in the local community include sponsoring Baia Pemba FC since 2019, who have represent Cabo Delgado at Moçambola; creating a recreational football championship, the Namanhumbir Cup, involving 32 teams, in 2022; and helping the Girimba basketball team to participate in the provincial championships. MRM also rewarded the three local athletes who won boxing medals at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and the Boxing Federation from which they hailed.
Montepuez Ruby Mining – owned and operated by Gemfields, a world-leading responsible miner and marketer of coloured gemstones – is proud to once again have an opportunity to help local youth to progress in their sporting endeavours and thus ensure the gemstone mining profits raise the standard of life in the local area.