We think of gold as a sign of prosperity, but the farmers and communities most affected by mining just want their rivers and land back.
First published in: http://www.yesmagazine.org/blogs/john-cavanagh-and-robin-broad/the-real-cost-of-gold-in-the-philippines
"To you readers, and especially those who think of gold as something of value, we invite you into the room. Some of you have followed us in our journeys to gold-mining country in El Salvador where OceanaGold has joined forces with Canadian company Pacific Rim. We invite you to ponder OcenaGold's claim: prosperity for whom?
Listen to the weary and distraught mother as she tells us that her family lives so close to the enormous conveyor belt that carries rock to be crushed that she and her four school-age children cannot study or sleep. They hear the loud droning noise 24 hours a day. When the mining company blasts rock, it feels like an earthquake. But it is her house and her land, and what is she to do?" (READ MORE)