Most people are unaware of the role diamonds play in bringing real benefits to people in the countries around the world where diamonds are sourced. Nowhere is this more evident than in Africa. It is also in Africa that this same resource has been used to fund conflict. In 2000, a coalition of governments, non-governmental organizations and the diamond industry worked together to address this issue. In 2002, they established the Kimberley Process Certification System, a UN-backed process that has virtually eliminated the trade in conflict diamonds. Today, over 99% of the world's supply of diamonds is from sources free of conflict. Diamondfacts.org is dedicated to presenting the facts about conflict diamonds, along with how diamonds are driving economic growth and prosperity in countries around the world.

Diamond-funded health projects extend beyond just building hospitals. Debswana, a mining company in Botswana, recently became the first mining company in the world to extend free anti-retroviral treatment (ART) to HIV positive employees, their life partners, their children, and former employees for life.

Diamond revenues enable every child in Botswana to receive free education up to the age of 13. Many African countries do not have sufficient tax revenues to pay for public education, unlike countries in many other parts of the world. Most African governments therefore need to charge students and their families for education. Botswana, with the help of diamond revenues, is one of the exceptions.

When diamonds were discovered in Botswana in 1966, there were only three secondary schools; today, due to revenues from diamonds, there are more than 300. Where children 40 years ago had no access to schooling or received lessons in the open air, they now have classrooms, sports equipment and books. Free schooling starts for children as young as six years old and continues throughout primary education. Even after the age of 13, secondary education is 95% funded by the government, enabling children to stay in school longer. The goal is to improve personal development and literacy rates that will pave the way for future generations.

An estimated 10 million people globally are directly or indirectly supported by the diamond industry. From the countries where they are sourced to the countries where they are polished and sold, diamonds are supporting millions of people globally. In the African country of Namibia, the diamond mining industry is the largest single employer after the government. In Botswana approximately 25% of the labor force is directly or indirectly linked to diamonds. In India approximately one million people are employed in the diamond industry. In 2002, approximately 15% of total employment in the Canadian Northwest Territories was related to diamond mine operation and construction.

The charity Jewelers for Children funds a community based care program for orphaned children in South Africa. Jewelers For Children (JFC), formerly known as the Jewelers Charity Fund for Children, was founded in 1999 by the U.S. jewelry industry with the mission of helping children in need. Since its inception, JFC has donated over $23 million to US and international programs benefiting children whose lives have been affected by illness, abuse, or neglect. This nationwide success is due to the continuing generosity of jewelry trade organizations, jewelry and watch manufacturing companies, jewelry retail stores, individual jewelry professionals, and jewelry consumers.

In 2006, JFC will provide $ 4.5 million in funding to charity partners, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Make-A-Wish Foundation of America, the National CASA Association, the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, Make-A-Wish Foundation International, the Jason Program, the Association of Hole in the Wall Camps and the Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation.

The diamond mining industry generates over 40% of Namibia's annual export earnings. Diamond Facts -- Fact 4As one of Namibia's major natural resources, diamonds have created approximately 4,000 jobs and contribute approximately 10% of GDP. They are bringing real improvement to the daily lives of Namibia's people, providing essentials such as school books and electricity. The diamond industry and Namibian Government have partnered to create local cutting and polishing industries to further expand the country's economy and provide revenues for more families and communities in Namibia.

The Diamond Development Initiative was established to improve the working conditions of artisanal miners. The Diamond Development Initiative (DDI) aims to find sustainable methods of ensuring that diamonds are mined and distributed for the benefit of local communities and local governments. Unlike the more traditional, or formal, mines found in South Africa, Botswana and Namibia, small-scale informal alluvial diamond digging (also known as artisanal diamond digging) is usually undertaken by individuals, families or groups using very basic equipment to extract diamonds.

Most artisanal digging takes place around areas of alluvial deposits (deposits of sand, gravel and clay, which have been naturally transported by water erosion and deposited along either the banks of a river, the shoreline or on the bed of the ocean). There are a number of issues concerning the working conditions of small-scale informal diamond diggers. Among these are the unhealthy, unregulated and sometimes dangerous environments in which diggers work, together with the fact that the majority of diggers do not know the true value of rough diamonds and are therefore vulnerable to exploitation. In many cases the workers have no other option for employment and support a whole family on the substance wage given. The situation alluvial miners face today reflect the fundamental challenges of extreme poverty and a lack of basic infrastructure, education and healthcare in previously war-torn countries.

Founded through partnerships with governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the diamond industry, the DDI seeks to improve conditions and systems for artisanal alluvial digging and build on the foundations established by the Kimberley Process. Its aim is to develop an understanding of the issues and implement pilot projects in local small-scale informal alluvial diamond digging communities to address concerns e.g. working conditions, fair-pricing and formalization.
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Together with other similar programs such as the Mwadui Community Diamond Partnership, the Peace Diamond Alliance, Diamonds for Development and the Communities and Small Scale Mining project of the World Bank, a real and lasting difference can be made to the approximately one million individuals and their dependents who make their living in the artisanal mining sector.

Approximately one million people are employed by the diamond industry in India. The diamond industry has witnessed incredible growth in India in the last few years, lifting hundreds of thousands of people out of rural poverty into employment. Today, 9 out of 10 diamonds are polished in India. The knowledge and expertise of the diamond industry's highly skilled workforce has made India one of the key contributors to the growth of diamond jewelry worldwide. The diamond industry in India has also been a key contributor to the annual growth of the country's gross domestic product (GDP).

Approximately $8.4 billion worth of diamonds a year come from African countries. As Nelson Mandela said in 1999, "The diamond industry is vital to the southern African economy."

The majority of today's diamonds are sourced from Africa, Canada, Russia, Australia and South America, with an estimated 65% of the world's diamonds being produced in African countries. When measured by value, Botswana is the biggest producer of diamonds in the world.

The approximate breakdown of diamond production by value within Africa is:

* Botswana: $3.2 billion
* Angola: $1.5 billion
* South Africa: $1.6 billion
* Democratic Republic of Congo: $0.8 billion
* Namibia: $0.7 billion
* Other African nations: $0.6 billion

The revenues from diamonds sourced in Africa are benefiting the countries in which they are found. These benefits take the form of funding hospitals for the sick, schools for children and infrastructure, such as roads, telephones and clean water systems, for everyone. Additionally, diamonds from some African countries are helping to fund the fight against HIV/AIDS through counseling, testing, education, treatment programs, clinics and hospices.

The revenue from diamonds is instrumental in the fight against the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Diamonds play a significant role in helping to tackle the HIV/AIDS pandemic in southern Africa. Revenues from diamonds help to provide necessary counseling, testing, education, treatment programs, clinics and hospices, along with homes and care for children orphaned through this disease. Several diamond mining companies were among the first in southern Africa to provide free Anti Retroviral Treatment (ART) to employees and their life partners as part of a comprehensive program outside of medical insurance coverage.

The Global Business Coalition (GBC) has recognized and awarded these efforts. The GBC's mission is to unite businesses in the fight against HIV/AIDS. In the last three years, it grown to over 200 companies worldwide.

An estimated 65% of the world's diamonds come from African countries. The majority of today's diamonds are sourced from Africa, Canada, Russia, Australia and South America. When measured by value, Botswana is the biggest producer of diamonds in the world. Other African countries that produce diamonds and are Kimberley Process compliant include:

* Angola
* Central African Republic
* Democratic Republic of Congo
* Namibia
* Tanzania
* Sierra Leone
* South Africa

Countries such as Botswana, Namibia and South Africa rely on diamonds, as a major natural resource, to benefit their populations. In these countries, the revenues from diamonds play a pivotal role in helping to build hospitals, provide education and build infrastructure. Revenues from diamonds from some African countries are also being used in their fight against HIV/AIDS.

Revenue from diamonds has an increased importance in helping previously war-torn countries establish economic stability. Countries such as Angola and Sierra Leone are now at peace and starting to use revenues from rough diamond exports to rebuild their economies and infrastructures.
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