Day 4: How Diamond Mining Causes Malnourishment in Sierra Leone – and How to Change that

If one goal of this Trade Mission is to discover how diamonds can make the world a better place, we have to take an honest look at the negative impact of diamond mines on local communities in Sierra Leone.

At our Town Hall meeting, this local woman explained to us why malnutrition is more widespread now compared to a generation ago.

She and other explained that in diamond-rich districts such as Kono, which we are visiting now, agricultural land is converted into mines. That results in a lack of nutritious food for locals.

So today we visited a project run by a NGO called Resolve, that is reclaiming abandoned diamond mines for agriculture. This is a solution that comes from locals and benefits them!

Day 3: A Visit to the Peace Diamond Village

Today we visited the village of Koyardu, which is home to the miners who found the 709-karat Peace Diamond in 2017.

We have a special connection to Koyardu, AKA the “Peace Diamond Village,” because the Rapaport Group marketed and auctioned the Peace Diamond free of charge. Proceeds were used to develop education, health and welfare infrastructure in this severely impoverished village, where most residents live on less than $2/day.

No wonder our the Rapaport Trade Mission got a festive welcome, with the whole town coming out to greet us, led by dancers and stilt walkers.

We then got a grand tour of the local school and hospital. These institutions may appear basic but in fact they have been hugely upgraded thanks to the proceeds from the Peace Diamond.

The day closed with a Town Hall meeting with local residents, to discuss the impact of the Peace Diamond and the future of the village.

Now we’re ready for Day 4….

Day 2: Sierra Leone Trade Mission

Day 2 was a very big day, with an early start and 5+ hours of travel, much of it on dirt roads.

Our delegation visited the diamond mine outside Koidu, where we met with diggers.

At night we hosted a leadership dinner, bringing together our delegates and local leaders from the Kono district.

The dinner was addressed by Pastor Emmanuel Momoh, an artisanal diamond miner who found the 709-carat “Peace Diamond” in 2017. His decision to sell it through official channels and invest the proceeds into local infrastructure made international headlines.

At the request of the Sierra Leone government, the Rapaport Group marketed and auctioned the diamond in New York on Dec 4, 2017 free of charge. It was bought by the House of Graf for over $6.5 million.