25-27 February. In response to an invitation by the Australian mining company Oxiana Limited, Prosperity Initiative went on a scoping mission to Sepon District, Savannakhet Province, Lao PDR.

Four members of Prosperity Initiative's Sector Feasibility and Mekong Bamboo teams spent 3 days in Sepon with senior managers of Oxiana to discuss potential collaboration on developing the local bamboo industry there.

Oxiana's aims include creating lasting prosperity in the communities in which they work. This potential collaboration would align the interests, competencies and resources of Oxiana with Prosperity Initiative's and link with Mekong Bamboo's other activities in this province.

Oxiana is a subsidiary of the Australian mining company OZ Minerals and operates the Sepon Gold and Copper mine in south-central Lao PDR. Its stated mission is to achieve ‘quadruple bottom line' excellence: financial performance, social performance, environmental performance and corporate governance. It aims to build mutually-beneficial relationships with stakeholders as part of the continued sustainability of its business. Oxiana contacted Prosperity Initiative as part of its efforts to maximise the benefits of its presence through grassroots community development projects, working in concert with local development priorities.

Oxiana has contributed AUD $1.8 million to the Sepon Development Trust Fund (SDTF), the Sustainable Development Program for Small Businesses and other community development initiatives aimed at building foundation infrastructure, local businesses and non-mining related industries.

The SDTF continues to work with the district government and local community to develop infrastructure and build capacity within the communities in the Sepon and Greater Project Development Area. In 2007, SDTF invested AUD $633,000 in projects focused on six primary sectors of development within the local community: education, agriculture, industry and handicrafts, health, transport and communications and tourism.

"Oxiana has an exit strategy for the closure of the mine, which includes development of sustainable economic activities for the constituents in these areas," Terry Mohoruk, Prosperity Initiative's Sector Feasibility Lead, explained.
"In these preliminary discussions, we're exploring with Oxiana the options of village level enterprises being linked to larger commercial entities that would survive the mine closure."