Life in Gonja has been altered by gold mining. Once a traditional farming village, the area has been plagued by drought, forcing villagers to seek additional income. The discovery of gold has shifted the local economy. Children, as young as eight, are dropping out of school to work in the mines to provide for their families.
The locals are very aware of the dangers from the mining process. Gonjans halted all agricultural and municipal use of their water. The river was their only source for water and if it hadn’t been for the work of KIHO, they might have never recovered. KIHO helped Gonjans discover a spring further up the Pare Mountains and built a pipe that carried the water down to their village.
Gonjans feel strongly that gold mining has irrevocably changed their village for the worse. One local told us, “It is very sad, what has happened to the river.” Gold mining is viewed as a way to provide for their families when there are no other options.
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