Hello Friends!
We hope you are faring well during quarantine and your family is healthy and safe. We, Roger and Ginger, are remaining inside as much as possible since Detroit remains a major hotspot! Rachel is stationed in Arusha, Tanzania for the duration of the pandemic and is organizing all of Gem Legacy’s COVID-19 Relief Efforts. You can read her update below.
The Dery family will match ALL donations made to the relief efforts in gem mining communities! The miners who currently don’t have a market to sell their gems still need to feed their families ($250/month feeds a mine of 10-15 workers AND their families) and the kids who depend on government-sponsored lunch still need to eat ($25/month feeds a child every day). Unfortunately, the situation is truly this basic and we are committed to seeing them through to better times.
We realize that these are financially challenging times for many, but if you are able and feel led to donate, you can make your contribution at gemlegacy.org/donate and name “Roger Dery” in the “Donating Company” section of the form. The Dery family will match all donations.
A Message from Rachel
Jambo (hello!) from Arusha, Tanzania! Now more than ever, Gem Legacy is working to respond quickly and effectively to the most basic needs of gem mining communities. With kids losing government sponsored lunches at school and gem buyers absent for several months, the needs here are truly essential for daily physical survival: food, water, and sanitary supplies. The effects of COVID-19 on jobs and incomes has reached its ugly fingers to the far corners East Africa and Gem Legacy is committed to supporting the marginalized by finding innovative solutions until usual resources have been reinstated. Thank you for your continued support of Gem Legacy and those we are shoring up during this challenging time for our world. Know that your support is not just “changing lives” right now, it is SAVING LIVES.
Best wishes for your health and wellness,
On-ground Supervisor for all COVID-19 Relief Efforts