PLAN CANADA

Plan is a global movement for change, mobilizing millions of people around the world to support social justice for children in developing countries. Founded in 1937, Plan is now one of the world’s oldest and largest international development agencies, working in partnership with millions of people around the world to end global poverty. Not for profit, independent and inclusive of all faiths and cultures, Plan has only one agenda: to improve the lives of children.

The IAMGOLD-Plan Canada partnership was established in 2009 and spent two years establishing a working relationship and jointly developing a large scale development project in Burkina Faso with a focus on supporting the country’s need for improved secondary education.

“The Canadian extractive industries are the largest in the world, working in many developing countries that have an abundance of natural resources. Working in partnership with the private sector, these resources can contribute to poverty reduction in many of these countries and improve the standard of living for their populations.”
– Hon. Beverley J. Oda, Minister of International Cooperation

In 2011, we were thrilled to announce the proposal had been accepted for funding from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). The innovative Canadian public-private partnership will improve educational opportunities and provide greater access to ‘job-readiness’ training for the youth of Burkina Faso. CIDA has approved funding of CDN$5.6 million to support this five-year project, which was jointly proposed by Plan Canada and IAMGOLD. Together, Plan Canada and IAMGOLD have committed CDN$1.9 million to the project, which represents the largest public-private partnership with an extractive company in CIDA’s history.

Entitled Building Young People’s Human Capital for Economic Growth: A Canadian Public-Private Partnership for CSR in Burkina Faso, the project’s highlights are to:

Focus on non-formal technical and vocational training for youth of ages 13 to 18 in two regions of the country;
Support the transition of youth from pre-professional education to professional training;
Double professional secondary education enrolment and education completion rates in targeted zones;
Provide life skills training needed to help youth to make the transition to the job market and self-employment;
Make a direct contribution to Burkina Faso’s human resources by investing in the country’s youth, with a strong emphasis on girls; and
Showcase a CSR partnership that brings together industry, civil society and the governments of Canada and Burkina Faso.

We view our investment in Burkina Faso as a long-term commitment. We saw an opportunity to make a significant contribution to the country’s sustainable development goals and felt that this was part of our responsibility as a long-term partner in Burkina Faso to get directly involved.

“Our first commitment is to the best interests of children and the communities in which we work. We believe that NGOs and the private sector have different but important roles to play in ensuring that major economic investments by Canadian companies translate into a pattern of development that benefits all. Our partnership with IAMGOLD will create safe training and decent work opportunities for youth in Burkina Faso.” – Rosemary McCarney, President and CEO of Plan Canada

The IAMGOLD experience in the field of technical and vocational training allows us to make a contribution beyond our financial commitment to the project. By working together and combining IAMGOLD and Plan’s company, government and NGO networks, we can amplify the opportunities for students in ways that would not be possible by working in isolation.

For IAMGOLD, as well as our partners, this project represents an opportunity to make sure students are getting the best vocational and job readiness training possible and that we maximize their chances of success afterward.

“The partnership demonstrates how responsible businesses can take an active role and form working relationships with non-profit organizations to help improve the lives of children and the economies of the developing world. This project has received strong support from the Government of Burkina Faso and was developed in collaboration with local and regional authorities throughout the country. Although we operate in one small corner of the country, support for this comprehensive project is the right thing to do and is aligned with our core purpose to enrich the lives of all our stakeholders.”
– Steve Letwin, President and CEO of IAMGOLD

For more details relating to the IAMGOLD/Plan Canada partnership please refer to the frequently asked questions.