Lyna

Community Empowerment Supervisor at Kamoto Copper Company

Empowering local communities: Lyna’s drive to support women and young people living close to KCC’s operations.

Growing up, Lyna’s parents always emphasised the importance of education and hard work. 

“I was born into a family of eight children – four boys and four girls. But we were all encouraged to go to school, study hard and seek the same opportunities. We were all treated in the same way.”

She went on to get her degree in corporate communications at the University of Lubumbashi, before starting her career as a social worker for an NGO. Lyna first joined Glencore as a trainee in the social department at Glencore’s Kamato Copper Company (KCC). 

“I then worked as a community development officer, supporting community projects offered by KCC for a while. Now my work is about helping to build the capabilities and skills of people in local communities, helping to identify their needs and engaging with KCC to see how we can support them.”

KCC is a copper and cobalt producer in the DRC. It extracts the metals, which are needed as the world shifts away from fossil-based fuels to other sources of energy, from two open pit mines and one underground mine. Copper and cobalt can be used in a variety of applications, including energy storage systems, electric vehicles and other renewable energy technologies. 

Lyna organises forums, conferences and training courses for community members living close to KCC’s operations, helping local people develop the skills that can lead to better employment opportunities.

Her team and KCC’s social department act as a hub between the company and the community. “I work mainly with young people and women,” Lyna explains. “We encourage young people to become job creators and support entrepreneurial projects that they can continue themselves. We want to make sure people can benefit from the presence of KCC in their communities.”

Lyna’s father also worked in mining and she credits him as her inspiration. “He always said to me: ‘You are a strong woman, you are brave, you have to go for it.’ He encouraged me to get out of my comfort zone,” Lyna recalls.

Today she is putting this inspiration to use by encouraging others to take similar steps: “I like to think I’ve played a role in helping others to push for their own development. Supporting people to lift themselves up and doing good social work is what I’m passionate about.”

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