SANDFIRE RESOURCES – Survivor Economic Empowerment (SEE) Initiative: Women’s Garden Project: Nominee for the Excellence in Social Development, 2025 Africa Award
By Sarah Siva | 28 August 2025
About the Nominee & their Nomination
- Sandfire Resources Ltd is one of the largest copper-focused companies on the ASX, headquartered in Perth, Western Australia. Operating in the Kalahari Copper Belt and Iberian Pyrite Belt, Sandfire is committed to sustainable mining, community benefit, and high safety standards, with its Motheo Copper Operations in Botswana employing over 1,700 local workers.
- Sandfire’s Survivor Economic Empowerment (SEE) Initiative addresses the high prevalence of gender-based violence (GBV) in Botswana, where over two-thirds of women in the Ghanzi District have experienced intimate partner violence. In partnership with the Botswana Gender Based Violence Prevention and Support Centre, SEE provides survivors—predominantly from the San, Kgalagadi, and Herero tribes—with a safe environment, practical horticultural training, and resources to establish income-generating agricultural enterprises. The program also fosters food security by supplying fresh local produce to communities.
- This initiative tackles GBV by empowering survivors to achieve financial independence, build self-confidence, and form cross-tribal support networks. By allocating land, providing agricultural inputs, and connecting participants to local markets, Sandfire ensures the program delivers lasting social and economic impact without creating dependency. To date, nine women have completed the program, with 15 set to benefit in its first two years. SEE not only addresses poverty and malnutrition but also creates intergenerational pathways out of violence, demonstrating Sandfire’s commitment to long-term, community-driven change.
- Broader impacts of the project include food security (reducing food poverty through the development of agricultural skills and resources), and systemic change (women are empowered and encouraged to Speak Up and challenge gender inequality, creating pathways and opportunities for other victims).