It Takes a Village

DTC Sightholder Dalumi may be increasing their business presence in Africa (In 2006 they were granted a license to begin manufacturing in Botswana and in 2007 they were among the 16 companies to receive a Sight in the country), but they are also giving back to the place that is giving so much to them.

In early 2007, Dalumi’s Botswana manufacturing swung into high gear with the opening of a1,300-square-meter polishing facility located in the capital city of Gaborone. The factory now employs 200 locals who polish and cut diamonds for the company.

Concurrent with their business relationship with Africa, Dalumi also engages in many charitable activities.

In 2006, former Italian beauty queen and Bond girl in Casino Royale Caterina Murino designed a one-of-a-kind necklace for Dalumi , which was subsequently displayed and auctioned through Sotheby’s in Paris as part of the Diamonds from the Heart charity program initiated by the Diamond Trading Company.

Dalumi donated the funds from the sale to the African Medical  and  Research  Foundation  (AMREF),  which engages  in  social  and  health-related  development activities for underprivileged Africans.

 

Roy Kessel of Yerushalmi Bros and Kobi Yitzchaki of Dalumi during the Sahara Race

But the sale of the necklace was just the beginning. The company has now adopted 14 children. No, no this isn’t of the likes of Brangelina or Madonna. Dalumi has adopted an entire house.

The house is in Tlokweng village, about an hour’s journey outside of Gaborone. It is home to 14 Botswana orphans who live in a communal family house.  As part of a charitable contribution through SOS Children’s Village, Dalumi is covering al l expenses for the 14 children.

 

The  seemingly  small  $10,000 donation covers mostly housing,  food  and  clothing,  but  it  will  also  include funds  for  any  medical  care  that  might  be  required beyond  that provided by Botswana’s universal health care,  school  supplies  and  fees  and  anything  else  that may come up.

Yuval Kemp, Dalumi's director of marketing and business development explains that this initiative comes out of a desire to engage in community development in Africa. Although they have no sp ecific plans for near-future endeavors, they will continue the SOS Children’s Village funding for some time, and they’re certainly not finished yet.  “We don’t know where or how, but we definitely want to do more. This kind of activity is very important. Botswana is a very good environment for business, socially and economically, and we want to give back to the people who have given to us,” he says.

In an independently-initiated endeavor, Dalumi Managing Director Kobi Itzchaki is literally running off the beaten path for charitable donations. He recently participated in the extremely challenging Sahara Race, which took place in October 2007, as part of “Racing the Planet,” the world’s most challenging ultra-marathon. Prior to the  race,  he  raised  $15,000  from  the  Israeli  diamond industry  for  ILAN  the  non-profit  Israeli  organization for handicapped children.

Itzchaki, who finished in ninth place, said that he plans to run more races to raise money for charity.

Working to Make the World Rosier

When it comes to manufacturing, industry giant Rosy Blue insists that it’s about more than diamonds. And when it comes to community support and charitable contributions, it’s about much more than shelling out cash.  

As  Rosy  Blue  Corporate  Affairs Director  Iris  Van  der Veken  says,  “It’s not about  just putting money on  the table. Anyone can make donations left and right. We want to follow through with the donations and see specific results from what we’ve giving. We want to know, from small to big, where our money goes. Corporate social responsibility is very important, but it’s more than that. It’s community involvement,” she explains.

Aside from various undisclosed donations at the director level, Rosy Blue funds a vast range of community development projects internationally – from India to Antwerp to the U.S. and beyond.

As a matter of corporate policy and business philosophy, the projects the company supports are not limited by region, race or religion, and projects from all backgrounds and settings are considered for support.  Their funds go to initiatives as diverse as the Special Olympics in Antwerp, a humanitarian and social development organization overseen by a Flemish nun in India to South Africa’s drive for Black Empowerment.

Says Van der Veken, “We always try to divide between local and global – between what is our global business policy and the local communities.”

Rosy Blue tends toward projects that are community- and education-oriented and that are aimed at underprivileged members of society, especially children. “We want to support things that give kids more positive recognition. So often, we only focus on the bad things that kids are doing – drinking, drugs, theft and so on. We want to reinforce the positive.”

For the past five years, Rosy Blue has sponsored a Special Olympics club for 55 developmentally disabled children in Antwerp. The most extraordinary aspect of this project, according to Van der Veken, is the strong employee involvement in the project.

Following approval by Rosy Blue's board of directors, members of the corporate affairs department approached the employees who responded enthusiastically. Every year, a number of employees volunteer with the club, during events or other informal meetings, developing strong person-to-person relationships that go beyond a simple donor-recipient connection.  “This is a very universal project,” says Van der Veken.  “A mental disability is something that can affect anyone, and it is therefore something that all of our employees can connect to and become involved in.”

Rosy Blue also has a strong contribution history with Jewelers for Children, an organization that CEO Dilip Mehta “is very fond of and very committed to,” as well as a support relationship with the Be OK Generation initiative and various one-off events, such as an organized trip to EuroDisney for a group of underprivileged Belgian children.

The company most recently sponsored most a “Day of Diversity” in Antwerp, which brought together more than 400 kids from all different nationalities living in Belgium  for a sports day, with food, games and a party in the evening. The children played basketball on multi-ethnic teams and interacted with different ethnic groups at a level that would not have been possible outside such an event, says Van der Veken.

 

“In our charitable contributions, we want to take everything one step further,” she explains. “We want to empower people, mostly kids, to reinforce the positivity in their lives. As a company, this is what we do – not just donating, but following through and ensuring that the money really makes a difference.”