1. Tanzanian Tanzanite Miner Allen Hicks I was working in the mine today (like every other day) in the 110 degree weather. I was in a dust filled 450 meter deep mine shaft. Our job is to haul away sand and rocks form the mine. It is a very hard job to do for a 13 year old Wana-Apollo [small miner]. It is very hot, dangerous, and tiring.

2. Our day starts very early in the morning and ends late at night. The dust in the mine makes it very hard to breathe. Other miners fill the bags with dirt and sand and hand them up to us, we (us) are hanging on the ladder with one arm passing the bags to one another until it gets to the top and gets dumped in a pile out side the mining area. We have very little opportunity. This work helps our families survive. We children bear the heaviest load of work. Every day I risk my life to live just like all the other kids in the mine. Also, like all the other kids in the mine, my family is very poor. Sometimes I work for no money, food, or water. Life is hard down here! It seems that there is no way out. A journalist took some pictures of me and the company house. She also got a picture of herself touring the mine. ***The attached pictures are actual photos from Tanzania taken Paul Matia while on assignment for Universal Leaf Tobacco.

3. Tanzania

10. References TANZANIA: Gem Slaves: Tanzanite’s child labor. IRIN November 19, 07 Colored Stone. By Hamza Kondo, July 2005. Published by Lampert Tools USA, Inc. Paul Matia, Project Engineer, Universal Leaf Tobacco. Photographer.