New York, NY May 23, 2013: Diamond Empowerment Fund (DEF) has launched a new line of Empowerment Jewelry, collaborating with leading jewelry designers who support DEF’s mission of empowering the next generation of African leaders in diamond producing countries.

Jewelry Designer Donna Distefano with Elizabeth Hamrick and Diamond Empowerment Fund Co-Founder Russell Simmons – all wearing the ‘Tranquility Bracelet’ from the Illumination Collection benefitting the Diamond Empowerment Fund.

Jewelry Designer Donna Distefano ’s stylish and sustainable collection of bracelets titled ‘Illumination’ was created to be symbolic, accessible, and versatile. Each bracelet, co-designed by Elizabeth Hamrick, bears a silver emblem representing some of the values of DEF: transformation, tranquility, and strength. Set with diamonds, the silver symbols slide on leather-look ultra-suede straps, making them suitable for men and women as well as being animal friendly.

Illumination Line of Bracelets benefitting the Diamond Empowerment Fund designed by Donna Distefano and Elizabeth Hamrick.

Royal Asscher has created a tsavorite and diamond pendant for DEF as part of the Stars of Africa collection. This unique pendant is comprised of green tsavorite and diamonds encased in a fluid-filled natural sapphire dome, allowing jewels to fall freely like snowflakes in a snow globe.  The design won ‘best in show’ at JCK and is an example of the Asscher Family’s long-standing commitment to integrity, quality and giving back.

Royal Asscher’s new Diamond and Tsavorite Pendant from the Royal Asscher Shines Stars of Africa Collection, benefitting the Diamond Empowerment Fund

Banneker Watches, is introducing a line of watches for DEF which incorporate their signature design of luxury woods combined with diamonds and green crystals.

Diamond Empowerment Line of Watches designed by Banneker Watches.

Russell Simmons, global business mogul, entrepreneur, philanthropist and co-founder of DEF, shares these designers vision of transformation as it is the cornerstone to DEF’s mission. “It is important to support and encourage the youth of Africa to make a positive change in the world. DEF Empowerment Jewelry will contribute to this vision” affirms Simmons. Each designer has also joined DEF’s Diamonds for Good Membership Program to further show support for DEF and to contribute to scholarships for these young people.

All Empowerment Jewelry, including the iconic green malachite and diamond bracelet can be seen on DEF’s website: www.diamondempowerment.org and at the upcoming JCK Show at DEF’s booth L-11. A media launch party is scheduled for June 20^th from 5pm to 8pm at Donna Distefano’s private Atelier. For more information, contact Executive Director Nancy Orem Lyman.

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About the Diamond Empowerment Fund

The Diamond Empowerment Fund is a New York based global non-profit organization (EIN# 20-5967103) that raises money to fund education initiatives in African diamond-producing nations. Its beneficiaries include: CIDA City Campus, South Africa’s first non-profit university to offer a four-year business degree.  CIDA has an 80% employment rate among graduates; the African Leadership Academy, a university preparatory school in Johannesburg, South Africa, founded on the belief that ethical leadership is the key to sustainable development on the continent and drawing students from all 54 countries in Africa, and the Botswana Top Achievers program that provides the top high school students countrywide the opportunity to study at a university of their choice worldwide. Graduates then return to Botswana to contribute to its economic, social and political development.  www.diamondempowerment.org.

New York, NY; May 8, 2013 – Gleim The Jeweler and Smithworks Fine Jewelry agreed with the Diamond Empowerment Fund’s (DEF) message that ‘Doing Good IS Good Business’ and signed on to their Diamonds for Good Membership Program at the recent AGS Conclave.

The Diamonds for Good Membership Program is designed to highlight a company’s commitment to giving back and supporting DEF’s mission of empowerment through education in diamond-producing nations. Studies have shown that more than 80% of consumers care that the companies they do business with give back to the community in some way. Phyllis Bergman, DEF board president, affirms “the Diamonds for Good program allows participating companies to easily and visibly demonstrate their commitment to giving back through the support of DEF”.

And it is not only retailers who see the importance of this program from a social and business perspective. Rubel & Ménasché, part of the Dali Diamond Group, based in Paris and a supplier of specialty high-end small goods also recently signed on “…because we believe in supporting programs which impact communities where our most precious gems originate” says Elodie Daguzan, Head of Communications for R&M.

DEF will be at JCK Las Vegas, booth L-11. The organization’s presentation “Doing Good is Good Business” will be given on Friday, May 31 from 11:30am to 12:30pm in Tradewinds EF.

Nelson Mandela once said, “Education is the most powerful weapon, which you can use to change the world.”

Over the past decade, GIA (Gemological Institute of America) has developed education programs to support  the development of a skilled workforce to complement Africa’s mineral wealth.

The Institute conducts classes in Botswana and South Africa, where gemology training is offered through hands-on lab classes, course work and distance education. The goal is to provide gemological education and career training, and ultimately bring more value from the global diamond trade to the countries that are the source of the coveted gems.

GIA has worked with government agencies and universities to offer additional training in Africa. In 2011, GIA approved a grant to support a United States Agency for International Development (USAID) project called Property Rights and Artisanal Diamond Development (PRADD). The $30,000 grant supported training in sorting and evaluation of diamonds in the Central African Republic and Liberia. GIA provided instructors, a translator and all materials, including rough diamonds for practice.

In March 2012, GIA signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the University of Dar es Salaam, the University of Nairobi and the University of Zambia, giving individuals at each university the opportunity to enroll in GIA’s intensive Accredited Jewelry Professional (AJPi) program, a concentrated five-day class that teaches the fundamentals of gemology.

For younger students, GIA offers gemology instruction through the GIA Junior Gemologist program. Children ages 10-15 learn what the study of gemology really means as the science and beauty of gem stones come alive when they learn to examine gems with microscopes and other specialized equipment. This program has been offered in Johannesburg, South Africa and Gaborone, Botswana.

Learning doesn’t end after the classroom experience. Graduates are encouraged to join the global Alumni Association. There are several hundred GIA alumni across Africa – in South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Tanzania, Nigeria, Madagascar and Zambia – working in various industry positions, including manufacturing. The Alumni Association is another resource to assist the careers, networking opportunities and continuing education of GIA graduates worldwide.

Through education, GIA is equipping people in Africa to be active and successful members of the diamond industry now, and tomorrow.

GIA is an inaugural Diamond Empowerment Fund, Diamonds for Good member. 

For more information about GIA courses in South Africa and Botswana visit www.gia.edu

-Courtesy of GIA

The diamond and jewelry industry is engaging in innovative strategies to increase consumer awareness of its efforts to fight poverty and to promote sustainable economic development in nations where diamonds are mined and extracted. Local, regional and international businesses continued to affirm the strategic importance of demonstrating a commitment to corporate social responsibility.

Seven years ago Russell Simmons and I were personally encouraged by Nelson Mandela to establish a global nonprofit organization that was related to the diamond business for the expressed purpose of  facilitating the industry’s direct support of African college students from diamond producing nations. Mandela also told us “to raise more awareness about the benefits to Africa that are derived from the good that diamonds go.”

Along with officials from De Beers and other industry leaders in 2007 we formally established the Diamond Empowerment Fund. The mission of Diamond Empowerment Fund is to support education initiatives in African nations where diamonds are a natural resource.

Today, six years later, we re pleased to note that over one thousand college students in Africa have received financial assistance or have been awarded scholarships as a result of the generous support that the Diamond Empowerment Fund has received from the industry. This is what we now affirmatively refer to as a “Diamonds for Good” impact.

In fact, we have just launched the Diamonds for Good Membership  Campaign for mining companies, manufacturers, distributors, designers, retailers and others throughout the world. By becoming an annual Diamonds for Good Member of the diamond Empowerment Fund, you will help to ensure that more of these deserving students will have the actual chance to go to college.

There are literally thousands and thousands of gifted and talented young students who could emerge as the future leaders of Africa and the world if only there were more opportunities for the students to attain a quality higher education. Currently the beneficiaries of the Diamond Empowerment Fund are the CIDA City Campus and the African Leadership Academy in Johannesburg, South Africa, and the Top Achievers Program in Gaborone, Botswana.

Consumer consciousness, concern and care about corporate social responsibility are growing phenomena. The greatest natural resources in Africa and in all places across the world are the people We know that attaining an education is one of the most effective means of improving the quality of life and transforming a society to make progress for the sake of all humanity.

The Diamonds for Good Membership Campaign is open to all who want to support the mission of the Diamond Empowerment Fund. Join us today. Join Diamonds for Good.

The world is changing for the better. Let’s work together to help make positive difference everywhere and in particular in Africa. The business and public sectors should continue to find unique and effective ways to make a collective difference. What is good for the success of people should also be good for the success of business.

Dr. Ben Chavis is a founder and Senior Strategic Advisor of Diamond Empowerment Fund.

This blog was originally published by Business Fights Poverty.

New York – NY; Last night at the ultra-hip nightclub LAVO, the Diamond Empowerment Fund joined with the international diamond industry to honor leaders committed to corporate social responsibility and promoting education empowerment and prosperity in Africa, where the majority of diamonds are mined.

DEF’s GOOD Awards were given to diamond industry legends Tiffany & Co. and Leo Schachter Diamonds (creator of the Leo Diamond), and to international model and humanitarian Noella Coursaris Musunka.

Russell Simmons, music mogul/entrepreneur and co-founder of the Diamond Empowerment Fund, emphasized the importance of the diamond industry to give back and empower the communities where their precious resources are found. “A strong Africa is an educated Africa. For the diamond industry to be sustainable in the future, empowerment of youth through education is essential.”

A distinguished and varied audience convened for the GOOD Awards, including celebrities from the music, film, and fashion worlds. Along with Simmons, the event drew celebrities Estelle, Jeffrey Wright, and Selita Ebanks; global industry leaders Varda Shine and Stephen Lussier of De Beers, Mike Kowalski of Tiffany & Co., Mark Light and Mike Barnes of Signet (parent company of the Kay and Jared retail brands); and African ambassadors from the diamond producing countries of Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa.

Varda Shine, Executive Vice President of Global Sightholder Sales, De Beers Group and another co-founder of DEF, added, “Education and the incubation of leaders of the future must always be our social priority, as it is this that leads to sustained progress, economic growth, and prosperity. Providing unrestricted access to schooling is the first step in creating a virtuous circle of development.”

Phyllis Bergman, DEF board president, said, “We are encouraged by the fabulous success of the 2013 GOOD Awards. This bodes well for the industry’s future.”

The event was kicked off with an African ceremonial dance by native Batswana dancers. The festivities continued after the Awards presentation by a passionate performance by Grammy Award-winning artist Estelle, and music continued throughout the evening with famed DJ M.O.S.

GOOD Awards sponsors for the evening included Tiffany & Co., Exelco and JCK, and Empowerment Circle inaugural sponsors, the Dalumi Group, Malca-Amit, Sterling Jewelers, and Leo Schachter Diamonds. The Empowerment Circle is DEF’s new annual partnership program.

GOOD Awards 2013 Sponsors

Empowerment Circle Sponsors

As a young woman from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), I have a personal obligation to ensure that I give back to my community. I was born in Lubumbashi, but was educated in Europe after my father passed away and my mother was no longer able to care for me. After a 13-year separation, I returned to my country and was struck by the contrasts I found. In 2007, I founded the Georges Malaika Foundation to empower young Congolese women and their communities to rise above the struggles and make a positive contribution to society.

Over the past five years, I have had the opportunity to work with UNICEF, give a speech to the United Nations on International Women’s day, speak at Cambridge University, defend the rights of women to the parliament in Kinshasa, and be featured at other various events.

Noella with the GMF students on a visit to the market

Education is one of the most important assets to an individual, and at GMF we strive to ensure that the gap between human resource capital (skills) and natural resource capital (minerals) is narrowed in Africa. It is through education and equipping the DRC’s growing population with the knowledge to manage these resources that we will close this gap. GMF sits at the top of my existence in this world, and is wholly supported by my great volunteer team. My life’s purpose is to inspire the girls and the community and provide as much help as possible. Through the years we have achieved the following, and I hope we continue to grow.

• GMF began by successfully sponsoring a group of at-risk Congolese girls from the Katanga province. Sponsorship of these orphaned and abandoned girls included school tuition and all associated costs.
• This vision expanded into the Georges Malaika School for Girls, a tuition-free accredited school educating 104 young girls, and expanding to 152 girls in its second year, in the village of Kalebuka, near the city of Lubumbashi in southeast DRC.
• Partnered with Project CURE and successfully brought 10 containers containing medical health supplies worth more than 5 million dollars to the region’s hospitals.
• Built two wells that have been installed as a collaborative effort with the Voss Foundation, one on the school grounds and another for the village of Kalebuka.
• Partnered with FIFA through the Football for Hope program, an initiative of their implementing partner StreetFootballWorld, GMF will incorporate sports facilities near the school grounds and an integrated coed sports program to encourage community participation. The Kalebuka Football For Hope Center will be based on improving the public health, education, and life skills for the entire community.
• In 2012 I participated in the Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting 2012. I addressed the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton during the Opening Plenary with a statement of GMF’s commitment.

Noella with students in a classroom

Our job at GMF is still far from being complete. As I prepare to accept this award from Diamond Empowerment Fund’s ‘Good Awards‘ I am reminded that with fame comes great responsibility. Africa’s young girls are looking at people like myself to provide  inspiration and solutions that will uplift and empower them. It is my hope that you will join GMF and me in this journey. I am reminded everyday and everywhere I am that all the luxuries that we have come and go, but one thing that cannot be taken away from us is EDUCATION!

“Wealth, if you use it, comes to an end; learning, if you use it, increases.” ~Swahili Proverb

Noella, born in Lubumbashi, DRC was educated in Belgium and Switzerland. After achieving a degree in business, she moved to London and embarked on a career as an international model, and has been featured in international publications across the world.

DEF Senior Strategic Adviser, Dr. Benjamin Chavis (in a suit) visit’s Noella’s school in DRC.

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New York, NY: December 4 2012 - The Board of Directors of the Diamond Empwoerment Fund (DEF) announced today that Noella Coursaris Musunka, international model and founder of the Georges Malaika Foundation, will be honored at the second annual GOOD Awards, set for January 10, 2013, 6:30 p.m. at Lavo in New York City.

Musunka, a native of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), will be pesented the GOOD Award for her outstanding leadership and contributions to educate and empower young girls in the Congo through the Georges Malaika Foundation that she established in 2006. Noella’s achievements combine the fortunes of a successful global modeling and fashion career with a passion for ensuring education for girls in Africa to lift themselves out of poverty. In her fashion career, she has graced the covers and editorial pages of Cosmopolitan, Vanity Fair, Essence, GQ, and Esquire, to namejsut a few. In her humanitarian role, she has been featured in a 30-minute special on CNN’s African Voices and CNN Connect the World. She has also addressed UNIFCEF and the Congolese Parliament about issues confronting underprivileged girrls and most recently addressed the 2012 Opening Plenary of the Clinton Global Initiative in New York.

Noella Coursaris Musunka will join global luxury jeweler Tiffany & Co. and Leo Schachter Diamonds as the three honorees at the 2013 GOOD Awards. There will be a musical performance by Grammy-Award winning artist Estelle with renown DJ M.O.S. providing music throughout the evening. Expected guests include Russell Simmons, Dr. Benjamin Chaivs and Varda Shine, all co-founders of DEF. Phyllis Bergmanm president of the DEF Board will serve as master of ceremonies.

The GOOD Awards, established by the Diamond Empowerment Fund in 2012, are the highest awards to recognize individuals and corporations in the diamond and jewelry industry for outstanding leadership in the areas of good corporate citizenship, sustainability, and promoting opportunity in Africa.

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New York, NY; November 12, 2012 – Global luxury jeweler Tiffany & Co. and Leo Schachter Diamonds will be honored for global leadership in helping empower people in Africa, at the second annual GOOD Awards on January 10, 2013.

The GOOD Awards, established by the Diamond Empowerment Fund in 2012, are the awards to recognize individuals and corporations in the diamond and jewelry industry for outstanding leadership in the areas of good corporate citizenship, sustainability, and promoting opportunity in Africa.

Tiffany & Co. a pillar of the diamond industry, has been in the forefront of promoting business practices and programs that benefit communitites in which diamonds are sourced. Tiffany’s work in Botswana and other diamond producing countries highlights one of the many ways the company demonstrates accountability through best business practices resulting in employment, infrastructure improvements, and ultimately the empowerment of people in that region.

Leo Schachter Diamonds was one of the first diamond companies to establish a cutting factory in Botswana, employing hundreds of local Batswana. Additionally, Elliot Tannenbaum, principal of Leo Schachter Diamonds, in partnership with the government of Botswana, helped to establish the Botswana Top Achievers Program, a DEF beneficiary that funds top students from the nation to study at the university of their choice worldwide.

Additional honorees will be announced soon. For more information on tickets, jounal ads, and sponsorship packages please visit www.goodawards.org.

New York, NY – To help communicate their breadth of activities and stories of empowerment through education, today the Diamond Empowerment Fund (DEF) launched its new online newsletter entitled The Good Report. Available on www.diamondempowerment.org, the Good Report highlights student’s stories of achievement through the support of scholarships they receive from Diamond Empowerment fund made possible by the diamond industry. This publiciation will also include the industry’s own good works in supporting communities where they do business, mainly in Africa where a majority of the worlds diamonds are sourced from. Additionally, recent and upcoming activities will be highlighted such as the premier event, “The GOOD Awards” taking place on January 10th 2013 in NYC. Further embracing the importance of retailers, DEF will include in the report, newly established UBUNTU Retailer Program Partners, a program that encourages retailers to partner through product promotion of D.E.F. merchandise.

To read the inaugural GOOD Report, click here!

D.E.F is pleased to announce their new Ubuntu Retail Partnership Program. Ubuntu, meaning ‘humanity to others’, is a program designed for independent retailers interested in partnering with us. D.E.F.’s positive message of youth education empowerment and leadership development in diamond producing countries helps convey that diamonds promote good in communities where they are found. This message is especially important to the bridal market as these young people are far more conscious of social responsibility than previous generations and more demanding that the companies they do business with behave responsibly and give-back.

D.E.F will provide marketing support to help launch a diamonds for good campaign to any Ubuntu Retail Partner carrying product from the line of D.E.F. Empowerment Jewelry including the iconic Malachite Green Bracelet, the Stars of Africa Ring Collection, and the Empowerment Charm.

As stated by D.E.F’s executive director, Nancy Orem Lyman, “The Damond Empowerment Fund’s mission to empower youth through education is a positive message that helps connect the diamond industry with customers. This is increasingly important as informed and inquisitive younger consumers want this assurance in the products they purchase, especially those which create memories to last a lifetime. Retailer’s efforts to connect this message with their local community will help empower more youth to become the next generation of leaders in Africa.”  Doing good is GOOD for business!

To learn more about how to become part of D.E.F’s Ubuntu Retail Partnership program please contact D.E.F Executive Director, Nancy Orem Lyman at n.lyman@diamondempowerment.org 

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MJ Christensen Diamonds: D.E.F’s first Ubuntu Partner

Building on the ‘Diamonds for GOOD’ message D.E.F introduced at their panel discussion at JCK Las Vegas, MJ Christensen has launched their fourth quarter campaign under the ethical affair’ campaign umbrella. MJC will be carrying both the iconic green bracelet and Royal Asscher’s Stars of Africa ring collection from the line of D.E.F Empowerment Jewelry. By embracing this message , MJC will have D.E.F marketing materials available to share with consumers to show how they can ‘shop with a conscience’ and how MJC is stepping up to support empowerment through education.

MJ Christensen hosted the 3rd Annual Runway For Life event to benefit BeadforLife and The Diamond Empowerment Fund

George Wallace receives a DEF Green Bracelet at the MJ Christensen BeadforLife event

President of Royal Asscher Lita N. Asscher with Cliff Miller at a MJ Christensen Event

Watch MJ Christensen spread the ‘Diamonds for GOOD’ message on Fox 5 News!

In the segment Jennifer Miller, Marketing Director of MJ Christensen, encouraged consumers to ‘shop with a conscience’ and explained how diamonds can be used for sustainable economic development in diamond-producing countries. Miller also showcased items from DEF’s Empowerment Jewelry line including Royal Asscher’s ’Stars of Africa‘ collection of rings, and the ‘Empowerment Green Malachite Bracelet‘.

Many people know my friend Russell Simmons as a music or fashion mogul. I know the caring, loving and philanthropic Russell who inspired me to start the Flaviana Matata Foundation (FMF). FMF is a Tanzania based organization I run that helps empower young orphaned girls in rural areas by supporting their education.

A couple of years ago I became an Angel Ambassador for the Diamond Empowerment Fund (D.E.F.), a non-profit organization founded by Russell that empowers the next generation of leaders in Africa through education. It is through the volunteer work I do for this organization coupled with my passion for empowering young girls in Tanzania that I was inspired to start my OWN foundation, Flaviana Matata Foundation. As I announce my new partnership and a grant of $10,000 from D.E.F, I am humbled and reminded that, good things don’t only come to those who work hard but also to people who use their talents to empower and uplift others.

I have had success in the short years I’ve been model, be it on runways in London and New York or photo shoots in glamorous magazines and I am forever appreciative for the opportunities and lifestyle this career has provided me. However, it is very important to know that, as an African child, having all these successes and not helping my own people would mean absolutely nothing to me. This belief is what continues to inspire me to do more through FMF. Young girls across the world, especially in Africa, are often ignored when it comes to social issues and I have witnessed how education can transform not just a young girls life but also an entire community. With this belief, I have made it my life’s mission to not just be a fashion model but also become a role model.

Everyday I am reminded of my job in this world by a simple African proverb that say’s “Knowledge is like a garden, if not cultivated, it cannot be harvested”.

Flaviana Matata is a Tanzanian born international runway model. Follow her on twitter at @flavianamatata

New York, NY, October 2 2012 - The Diamond Empowerment Fund yesterday presented a $75,000 check to the Botswana Delegation to the United Nations, as a donation to the Botswana Top Achievers Program, which affords top students in the diamond-producing nation an opportunity to attend the university of their choice worldwide. Upon graduation, they then return to Botswana to contribute to its future.

The $75,000 was the result of funds raised at the June ‘Salute to Botswana, Diamonds Empower Africa’ event held in Washington, D.C. co-hosted by DEF and the Embassy of the Republic of Botswana. Phyllis Bergman, DEF board president, reaffirmed the importance of the event.

“Botswana is a shining example of the positive impact diamonds have on communities when good governance is coupled with wise management of natural resources. Not only does Botswana manage is natural resources well, it also embraces its most important natural resource, its youth, through the Top Achiever Program. This mirrors the mission of DEF and we are thrilled to contribute to this amazing program.”

High level members from the Botswana delegaton receiving the check at Monday’s presentation included Botswana Honorable Minister of Foreign Affairs, Phandu Skelemani and his wife; Ambassador of the Republic of Botswana to the United States, Tebelelo Seretse; Permanent Representative of the Republic of Botswana to the United Nations, Charles Ntwaagae, and Ministry of Foreign Affairs Director of Multilateral Affairs, Thomas Dipue. Members of DEF’s board of directors, as well as representatives from Tiffany & Co., the lead sponsor for the ‘Salute to Botswana’ event, presented the check to the delegation during the ceremony. Sponsors of the event included board members Leo Schachter Diamonds, Signet, Dalumi Group/Swana Diamonds and also included Exelco and Julius Klein.

In accepting the check, the Honorable Minister of Foreign Affairs emphasized the importance of education and of “using this tool of education to empower Botswana’s youth to become the next leaders in our country, able to drive economic diversification and growth that will benefit all. We thank the Diamond Empowerment Fund for this most generous donation, which together with past donations amounts to $225,000.”

Ambassador Seretse who spearheaded the July event at the Botswana Embassy in Washington DC commended the partnership between Diamond Empowerment Fund and Botswana by adding “The donation illustrates the good that diamonds do, the excellent relationship between DEF and Botswana and compliance to the Botswana Vision 2016 pillar of an educated and informed nation. The partnership must grow to show how development diamonds have made Botswana what it is today.”