Artha is committed to building partnerships with local communities to ensure that the environmental, social and economic concerns of communities surrounding Artha's project areas are considered at every stage of project development. To accomplish this Artha has assembled a team of Argentinian industry professionals to help engage with local communities. Artha is committed to ensuring that they are fully informed of Artha's exploration program, understand the what steps Artha will undertake to ensure that local environmental habitats are protected and knowledgeable about how local workers and providers will be contracted to assist Artha at various stages of project development.
Artha's properties in NW Argentina are located in the Provinces of Jujuy, Salta and Santiogo del Estero. The areas surrounding Artha's properties have very low population density and rely on mining and subsistance farming. Mineral exploration and mining in these provinces can be carried out without conflict provided that a good relationship is established with the licensing authorities, the local communities and individual land owners. Artha has successfully negotiated a community agreement for its Vallecito property and is actively engaging with other communities to ensure that their concerns are addressed at every stage of project development.
Artha has recently committed to improving access to education in communities near its project areas. Artha has identified training in science and technology as a priority as this would allow rural Argentinians to more fully participate the country's rapidly developing mining sector and in the value-added economy in which technological innovation is key. To accomplish this goal Artha has partnered with the National Academy of Extract, Physical and Natural Sciences in Argentina (ANCEFN) to increase accessibility of science education in rural Argentina.
ANCEFN has developed its own program to improve the teaching of science and technology in pre-university education. Biology, chemistry, mathematics and physics are taught using an inquiry-based approach which was designed specifically for use in rural Argentina. This method uses economical and easily accessible materials, can be adapted to each school's science timetable and provides training for facilitators who intern train teachers on the inquiry based method. From 2007-2010 approximately 200 facilitators and 3,000 teachers were trained.
Artha has recently assisted in funding the ANCEFN Strategic Planning Workshop in Buenos Aires and will be working closely with the ANCEFN to develop targeted programs for improving science education in Artha's project areas in coming months. Artha Resources believes firmly that improving access to education in the physical and natural sciences is key to improving the lives people living in Argentina's rural communities and is committed working towards improved levels of educational attainment in the provinces of Jujuy, Salta and Santiago del Estero.
