OTTAWA, June 29 /CNW Telbec/ - Orezone Resources Inc. (OZN:TSX, AMEX) is
pleased to announce that it has commenced a US $100,000 program to drill wells
that will provide a source of clean, safe drinking water for five villages in
Burkina Faso, West Africa. The contribution being made by Orezone is part of
the Mining for Water Challenge which Orezone initiated last year.
Like Live 8, the G8-targeted initiative spearheaded by Sir Bob Geldof,
the purpose of the Challenge is to improve the quality of life in Africa. The
Challenge was developed by Orezone to leverage the resources of the global
exploration and mining industry to provide access to clean, safe drinking
water in developing countries. The program was inspired by 14 year old Ryan
Hreljac from Kemptville, Ontario and is being run in conjunction with Ryan's
Well Foundation. Mining for Water ( www.miningforwater.com ) has challenged
the global mining community, including all exploration and mining companies,
drilling contractors, brokers, agents, lawyers and other service providers to
make a difference in developing countries by either contributing financially
to Ryan's Well Foundation or directly undertaking water related projects.
The $100,000 program being carried out by Orezone includes geophysical
and hydrological surveys, well drilling, pumping equipment and funding for
ACCEDES, a BurkinabDe development organization founded by the Christian and
Missionary Alliance Church, which will liaise with local communities and
provide training with respect to sanitation, hygiene and well maintenance.
Over 6,000 people live in or near the villages where the new wells are being
drilled.
Ron Little, President and CEO of Orezone stated that: "Aid to Africa has
recently received a great deal of publicity as the result of "Live 8" and debt
forgiveness programs. Our objective is not only to publicize what the
exploration and mining industry is already doing, but to strongly re-iterate
our challenge to the mining community to stand up and make a difference by
making a donation or initiating new water projects." He added that "The five
villages are located near our Bondigui ("Bondi") project and we intend to
initiate more safe drinking water programs near our other properties in
Burkina Faso as well as Mali and Niger."
Burkina Faso is a small landlocked country which is located in West
Africa between Ghana and Mali. In 1984 it changed its name from Upper Volta to
its current form which translates as "land of honest men". The people of
Burkina Faso are renowned for being hard working and optimistic and are making
progress in the areas of governance, health, education and reducing
corruption. As a result, Burkina Faso qualified to participate in the debt
forgiveness program recently announced by the World Bank and IMF. Burkina Faso
is considered one of the poorest countries in the world due to its arid soil,
lack of resource development and weak industrial base. About 90 per cent of
the population is engaged in subsistence agriculture which is vulnerable to
the effects of droughts, desertification, and deforestation. Cotton is the key
crop and the government has joined with other cotton producing countries in
the region to lobby for improved access to highly subsidized western markets.
"One out of every five people on earth does not have access to safe
drinking water. 30,000 people die every day from drinking contaminated water,"
said Ryan Hreljac, founder of the Ryan's Well Foundation and co-chair of
Mining for Water. "UNICEF says that 80 per cent of sickness and death among
children is caused by water-related diseases - that's almost four million
deaths every year. Exploration and mining companies can help because they are
already working in developing countries and they have powerful drills and
experienced crews."
Earlier this year Mining for Water also recognized the contributions of
Barrick Gold Corporation and Glencairn Gold Corporation. Barrick spent
US $2.8 million in Tanzania to increase the capacity of its water pipeline to
supply local communities and also drilled a number of wells to service nearby
villages. Glencairn spent US $265,000 on community water supply projects near
its mines in Costa Rica and Nicaragua including pipelines, water tanks and a
water treatment facility.
About Ryan's Well Foundation
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Ryan's Well Foundation ( www.ryanswell.ca ) is a not-for-profit
organization led by 14-year old Ryan Hreljac, from Kemptville, Ontario,
Canada. At age six Ryan first participated in a project to raise money to
drill a well to provide fresh water to a village in Africa. Since then, Ryan's
Well has raised more than $1,000,000 and drilled 168 clean water wells in
seven countries benefiting more than 100,000 people. Ryan continues to travel
extensively around the world to educate others about water-related issues.
Orezone Resources Inc.
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Orezone Resources Inc. ( www.orezone.com ) is an emerging Canadian gold
producer whose activities are focused on the West African country of Burkina
Faso. Orezone's Essakan project is the largest gold deposit in Burkina Faso
and the number one exploration/development project of joint venture partner
Gold Fields Limited, the fourth largest gold producing company in the world. A
pre-feasibility study is currently underway at Essakan and a production
decision is expected to be made in mid 2006. Orezone's mission is to create
wealth by discovering and developing the earth's resources in an efficient and
responsible manner.
