Gold mining on Mayan-Mam territory: social unravelling, discord and distress in the Western highlands of Guatemala

Exploring the Impact of Mining on Community Health and Health Service Delivery: Perceptions of Key Informants Involved in Gold Mining Communities in Burkina Faso

Sub-Saharan Africa is rich in natural resources but also faces widespread poverty. The United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals brought increased attention to resource extraction projects, emphasizing their development potential in extraction regions. While mining companies are required to conduct environmental impact assessments, their effect on the project-affected communities' health mostly lacks systematic management, and their consideration of community perspectives is insufficient. Between March and May 2019, qualitative research was conducted at three industrial gold mines in Burkina Faso. Thirty-six participants, including community leaders, healthcare providers, and mining officials, were interviewed through key informant interviews about their perceptions on the impacts of mining operations on health, health determinants, and health service delivery. Disparities in perceptions were a key focus of the analysis. Mining officials reported mainly positive effects, while healthcare providers and community leaders described enhancing and adverse health impacts without clear trends observed regarding the extent of the impacts on health determinants. The perception of predominantly positive health impacts by mining officials represents a potential risk for insufficient acknowledgement of stakeholders' concerns and mining-related effects on community health in affected populations. Overall, this study enhances comprehension of the complex interplay between mining operations and health, emphasizing the need for comprehensive assessments, stakeholder involvement, and sustainable practices to mitigate negative impacts and promote the well-being of mining communities.

"If the reindeer die, everything dies": The mental health of a Sámi community exposed to a mining project in Swedish Sápmi

In 2006, a British mining company started the process of extracting ore from Gállok/Kallak, in Swedish Sápmi. These grounds are used all year round for reindeer herding by the Sámi community Jåhkågasska tjiellde. While environmental impact assessments should be conducted by law in any development project in Sweden, the health component included is usually vague. The aim of this study was to understand the experiences and perceptions of the Sámi community regarding the current and potential health effects of the proposed mine.A qualitative study, including six in-depth interviews with members of the community, was conducted in 2020. Interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. Five themes were identified and organised in current and future impacts. Current impacts included “It’s like David’s battle against Goliath”, “It’s a slow process that takes a lot of power and energy”, “It’s a defense … like, to protect oneself”; with future impacts including: “If the reindeer die, everything dies”, “You would feel that you do not possess any power, [you would feel] overridden, pushed away, not liked”.The fear of losing current and future generations’ livelihoods appeared to be the main mediators of the current and potential worsened mental health experienced by the community.

Toward Relational Practices for Enabling Knowledge-to-Action in Health Systems: The Example of Deliberative Dialogue

Despite widespread emphasis on evidence-informed decision making in health care, there remain persistent challenges in actualizing this ideal. An integrated strategy to knowledge translation can help bridge perspectives across sectors, communities, and organizations, and bridge the "knowledge-to-action" gap. One such strategy is a deliberative dialogue method. Deliberative dialogue has unique potential to mobilize partnered changes and improvements across health care, and we believe, is most salient when enacted relationally through practices of relational engagement and relational accountability. Drawing from our own scholarship, we reflect on how these practices can help establish both processes and outcomes that can affect meaningful change.

"Until You Hit Rock Bottom There's No Support": Contradictory Sources and Systems of Support for Mothers Experiencing Homelessness in Southwestern Ontario

Nurses are vital community advocates and uniquely situated to support mothers experiencing homelessness. The purpose of this study was to examine the multidimensional nature of social exclusion in the lives of mothers experiencing homelessness in Southwestern Ontario. This article reports findings from one segment of a larger study that critically examined the sociopolitical context, health needs, exclusionary and inclusionary forces, and strategies of resistance demonstrated by mothers experiencing homelessness. Central to the women’s experiences of mothering while homeless were their interactions with “the system.” The contradictory nature of these systems was categorized into four subthemes: (1) “Until you hit rock bottom there’s no support,” (2) “It’s just not enough”: Insufficient support, (3) “Help comes with a price”: Support with surveillance, and (4) “Every shelter is so different”: Organizational philosophies impacting support. The contradictory nature of the system created an illusion of support, but in mothers’ lived realities, it perpetuated experiences of exclusion in spaces ironically designed to enhance inclusion. Implications for nursing practice include action the macro-, meso-, and microlevels. Nurses can advocate for Housing-First initiatives and evidence-informed approaches to poverty reduction while recognizing the system-level barriers to health and providing respective, compassionate care.

Canadian mining and ill health in Latin America: a call to action

This commentary argues that Canada's public and global health communities have a special ethical and political responsibility to act to reverse the harms associated with Canadian mining activities in Latin America and beyond through advocacy, research, and using their public voice. We begin with an overview of the direct and indirect health effects of mining, drawing especially on Latin America where 50-70% of mining activity involves Canadian companies. Then we examine the judicial, legislative, financial, and diplomatic contexts that make Canada such a welcome host and champion of the mining sector. Finally, we turn to the responsibility of the public and global health communities, offering concrete recommendations for using research, practical expertise public health solidarity networks, and political clout to speak out and advocate for policies that redress the harms caused by mining.

Exploring the broader health and well-being outcomes of mining communities in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review

Health and well-being outcomes in communities living in proximity to mining activity may be influenced by a broad spectrum of factors including population growth, economic instability or land degradation. This review aims to synthesise broader outcomes associated with mining activity and in doing so, further explore possible determinants in communities of low- and middle-income countries. Four databases were systematically searched and articles were included if the study targeted adults residing in proximity to mining activity, and measured individual or community-level health or well-being outcomes. Narrative synthesis was conducted. Twelve articles were included. Mining was perceived to influence health behaviours, employment conditions, livelihoods and socio-political factors, which were linked to poorer health outcomes. Family relationships, mental health and community cohesion were negatively associated with mining activity. High-risk health behaviours, population growth and changes in vector ecology from environmental modification were associated with increased infectious disease prevalence. This review presents the broader health and well-being outcomes and their determinants, and strengthens the evidence to improve measurement and management of the public health implications of mining. This will support the mining sector to make sustainable investments, and support governments to maximise community development and minimise negative impacts.

A community-based intervention to build community harmony in an Indigenous Guatemalan Mining Town

The presence of large-scale mining operations poses many threats to communities. In a rural community in Guatemala, community leaders were motivated to address divisiveness and local conflict that have been exacerbated since the arrival of a mining company in the region. Prior research by our team identified spiritual and cultural strengths as important sources of strength and resilience in the community. We piloted a community-based intervention centred on spiritual and cultural practices in the region, to address divisiveness and build community harmony. One hundred and seventeen participants from over 18 villages in the municipality participated in the workshops and follow-up focus groups. Community leaders facilitated the intervention and partnered with the academic researcher throughout the research process. Overall, community members and facilitators expressed satisfaction with the workshop. Further, our analysis revealed three important processes important to the development of community harmony in the region: (a) mutual recognition and collectivisation; (b) affirmation of ancestral roots and connections to Mother Earth and (c) inspiring action and momentum towards solutions. These mechanisms, and the socio-political contexts that undermine them, have important implications for how global health programmes are developed and how collective processes for well-being are understood within an inequitable, conflict-laden world.

The Perceived Consequences of Gold Mining in Postwar El Salvador: A Qualitative Study

OBJECTIVES

We investigated themes related to the health and environmental impacts of gold mining in El Salvador.

METHODS

Over a 1-month period in 2013, we conducted focus groups (n = 32 participants in total) and individual semistructured interviews (n = 11) with community leaders until we achieved thematic saturation. Data collection took place in 4 departments throughout the country. We used a combination of criterion-purposive and snowballing sampling techniques to identify participants.

RESULTS

Multiple themes emerged: (1) the fallacy of economic development; (2) critique of mining activities; (3) the creation of mining-related violence, with parallels to El Salvador's civil war; and (4) solutions and alternatives to mining activity. Solutions involved the creation of cooperative microenterprises for sustainable economic growth, political empowerment within communities, and development of local participatory democracies.

CONCLUSIONS

Gold mining in El Salvador is perceived as a significant environmental and public health threat. Local solutions may be applicable broadly.

Indigenous Storytelling and Participatory Action Research: Allies Toward Decolonization? Reflections From the Peoples' International Health Tribunal

Storytelling, in its various forms, has often been described as a practice with great emancipatory potential. In turn, Indigenous knowledge shows great promise in guiding a participatory action research (PAR) methodology. Yet these two approaches are rarely discussed in relation to one another, nor, has much been written in terms of how these two approaches may work synergistically toward a decolonizing research approach. In this article, I report on a community-driven knowledge translation activity, the Peoples' International Health Tribunal, as an exemplar of how narrative and PAR approaches, guided by local Indigenous knowledge, have great potential to build methodologically and ethically robust research processes. Implications for building globally relevant research alliances and scholarship are further discussed, particularly in relation to working with Indigenous communities.

Strengths amidst vulnerabilities: the paradox of resistance in a mining-affected community in Guatemala

The influence of large-scale mining on the psychosocial wellbeing and mental health of diverse Indigenous communities has attracted increased attention. In previous reports, we have discussed the influence of a gold mining operation on the health of a community in the Western highlands of Guatemala. Here, we discuss the community strengths, and acts of resistance of this community, that is, community processes that promoted mental health amidst this context. Using an anti-colonial narrative methodology that incorporated participatory action research principles, we developed a research design in collaboration with community leaders and participants. Data collection involved focus groups, individual interviews and photo-sharing with 54 men and women between the ages of 18 and 67. Data analysis was guided by iterative and ongoing conversations with participants and McCormack's narrative lenses. Study findings revealed key mechanisms and sources of resistance, including a shared cultural identity, a spiritual knowing and being, 'defending our rights, defending our territory,' and, speaking truth to power. These overlapping strengths were identified by participants as key protective factors in facing challenges and adversity. Yet ultimately, these same strengths were often the most eroded or endangered due the influence of large-scale mining operations in the region. These community strengths and acts of resistance reveal important priorities for promoting mental health and wellbeing for populations impacted by large-scale mining operations. Mental health practitioners must attend to both the strengths and parallel vulnerabilities that may be occasioned by large-scale projects of this nature.