Donations and Employee Awards on Miners’ Day from SASA Mine
On August 28, with a series of activities and donations, SASA Mine celebrates Macedonian Miners’ Day, together with Makedonska Kamenica’s double holiday. Each year, SASA has traditionally awarded all of its 770-plus employees with cash prizes and suitable gifts. Special recognition was given to Aleksandar Stoimirov, named the best miner for 2024 alongside 121 of his colleagues who have made significant contributions to safe and stable production, received additional prizes and acknowledgments. In its ongoing commitment to community well-being, SASA has announced and implemented several donation projects during the celebration. Notable, the mine has advanced the third part of the project aimed at raising public awareness and enhancing traffic safety, which SASA is implementing in partnership with the Municipality of Makedonska Kamenica and the Ministry of Interior. This phase includes the installation of new traffic signs, pedestrian crossing markings, and other technical solutions on several streets in Makedonska Kamenica with the aim of improving safety for all road users. The Municipality developed an appropriate technical plan for the project identifying critical areas for infrastructure improvements. Additionally, as part of the educational messaging of the project, conducted under the motto “Open Your Eyes and Be Smart! You Are Not Alone in Traffic” SASA supported the Local Prevention Department’s distribution of educational brochures to drivers, emphasizing important safety rules and tips for greater safety for all traffic participants. The second donation project supported by SASA during this period is the renovation of the interior of the kindergarten in Makedonska Kamenica. The infant room in the kindergarten has been completely renovated, and new lockers, wardrobes, tables, chairs and other necessary furniture has been purchased, significantly enhancing the environment for the children. In its ongoing efforts to promote environmental sustainability, SASA Mine announced a donation of a vending machine for recycling plastic bottles and cans as part of the celebrations. The vending machine will be donated to the municipal utility company “Kamena Reka,” which will determine its location. After its installation, residents and visitors of Makedonska Kamenica will be able to deposit used plastic bottles and cans, receiving “green points” in return, which can be redeemed for various benefits. Similar machines are already operational at the mine site. As part of the Miners’ Day celebrations, SASA Mine also marked the official commissioning of a new digital radiography machine at the Health Station in Makedonska Kamenica. The donated equipment worth over 80,000 euros, is a state-of-the-art medical device and represents a significant advancement in medical technology, offering precise X-ray imaging and diagnostics to enhance healthcare services for the local community.
Sasa Mine provides significant financial support for sports clubs in Makedonska Kamenica in 2024
As a socially responsible company, Sasa Mine invests in the sustainable development and prosperity of the local community year on year. The improvement of sports is one of the areas that the company focuses on and therefore invests in. In the past two years, the company has invested in the implementation of innovative new mining methods that will ensure the maximum working life of the mine. There is a continuous increase in operational costs that are important for maintaining the safe, productive and environmentally responsible operation at Sasa, as well as the increased investments in maintaining the high degree of social security and well-being of the employees. Despite that, Sasa Mine decided to allocate significant funds as direct financial support for the functioning and development of local sports clubs in Makedonska Kamenica again this year. In accordance with the adopted financial plans of Sasa and CAML Group for 2024, the men’s and women’s football and basketball clubs in Makedonska Kamenica have been approved and will be awarded similar support as was given in 2023, which was a record year of support from Sasa since it reopened in 2006. Beside in sports, the Sasa Foundation invests every year as support for the local community in areas such as: education, science, environmental protection, health care and vulnerable social groups. Approximately half of the mentioned financial support for the men’s and women’s football and basketball local sports clubs is intended for the development of the youth categories, as the Sasa Mine would like to encourage as many children and young people as possible in the local community to get involved in sports activities and to recognise and develop their talent. Data shows that, since Sasa joined the CAML Group in November 2017, investments in the development of local sports clubs have increased many times compared to that prior to 2017. In order to guarantee the transparency of this process, over the past two days, representatives of the Sasa management team have held a joint meeting with the representatives of the local sports clubs mentioned previously, at which they presented all the relevant data and the way in which this year’s financial support for each of the clubs was allocated. An additional meeting was also held with the mayor of the municipality of Makedonska Kamenica, to acknowledge the fact that the municipality also allocates funds in the local budget for the development of sports and supports the clubs. „On this occasion too, we once again confirmed our determination to continue the support for the development of local sports and young talents in the future, but at the same time we asked the management teams of the clubs, who manage them independently, to properly and above all responsibly manage the allocated funds, so that they are used to achieve the real goals for which they are intended. The focus of support from Sasa Mine is the youth categories and greater representation of players from the local community in the senior teams of the clubs,” stated the Sasa general Manager, Chris Colbourne.
The residents of Makedonska Kamenica will receive a new digital X-ray device – donation from Sasa Mine
As part of its continuous support to the local community, Sasa Mine and the Central Asia Metals group made a decision to make a donation that should contribute to the improvement of health services for residents in the municipality of Makedonska Kamenica. With the latest donation worth over 80 thousand euros, which is realised through the Sasa Mine Foundation, the most up to date equipment for digital radiography – an X-ray device will be purchased and installed in the Health Station in Makedonska Kamenica. The donation agreement signed by the Director of the Sasa Foundation, Ivica Talevski, and the acting director of the PHO “Goce Delchev” Health Centre from Delchevo, Zoran Gjorgjevski, stipulates that the new equipment will only be used in the premises of the Health Centre in Makedonska Kamenica. At the same time, the health centre, as the recipient of the donation, undertakes to provide professional staff who will be trained by the supplier of the equipment for its correct use. “Health is an extremely important part of the lives of our employees and local community that we aim to take care of as a company. In addition to the investments and measures we implement within the framework of Sasa, intended for our employees, we are happy to donate to the public health system in order to help maintain the necessary level of health care for people from our entire community,” said the Director of the Sasa Foundation, Ivica Talevski. The donated equipment represents the latest model of modern medical equipment, manufactured in 2023, and uses the most advanced digital technology that enables the performance of precise X-ray recordings and diagnosis. “This newest equipment for digital radiography will allow a significant increase in the quality of all x-rays and will enable accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment of patients. It is of particular importance for the local population of the municipality of Makedonska Kamenica, because it will improve the overall level of exemplary health care that they receive in the public health station in their city”, said the Director of the “Goce Delchev” Health Centre, Zoran Gjorgjevski. thanking Sasa for the latest donation, as well as for their continued care and investment in healthcare. In the agreement for the implementation of the donation, it is provided that the procurement, installation of the equipment and training of the staff should be carried out in a maximum of 90 days, after which the new digital radiography device will be put into operation for the needs of the residents of Makedonska Kamenica.
Sasa provided holiday cash prizes for all employees, packages for all children and packages for people at social risk in the local community
This year also, the Sasa mine continued the tradition of New Year’s giving, so that the employees and all members of the local community have the opportunity to celebrate the upcoming holidays in good spirits. Through its Foundation for the support of sustainable Development, Sasa mine once again provided New Year’s packages for all children in the kindergarten and primary school in Makedonska Kamenica. An appropriate donation was also given to the day center for people with disabilities. As in previous years, on the eve of these holidays, the SASA Foundation provided packages with basic food and other types of products for 150 people and families at social risk from the local community. In addition, all Sasa employees received appropriate gifts and a New Year’s bonus as a reward for their efforts and successful work throughout the year. “With the gifts we have provided, we want our employees and all members of the local community, especially children and those who need special attention and care, to feel the joy and warmth of the holiday days. We want to thank and congratulate the upcoming holidays to everyone in the community, including our employees, who with their work throughout the year contribute to the success and sustainable development of Sasa, and through that to the overall development of local community and the country as a whole”, said the director of the Sasa Foundation, Ivica Talevski. On New Year’s Eve, representatives of Sasa’s management team will visit members of the ambulance, fire department and local police station on-call teams, as well as mine workers who will be at their workplaces, and wish them all a happy new year. year and will give them appropriate gifts.
Sasa Mine continues to award scholarships to mining and geology students at the state university in Shtip
The lead and zinc mine Sasa continues its long-standing collaboration with the Faculty of Natural and Technical Sciences within the University ‘Goce Delchev’ in Shtip. As part of the collaboration, this year SASA, through its Foundation for Support of Sustainable Development, offered scholarships to all enrolled first-year students in the academic year 2023/2024 for studies in mining and geology at this faculty. During the official signing of the contracts with the new Sasa scholarship holders, a joint meeting was held with the Dean of the Faculty of Natural and Technical Sciences, at which the results of the previous years, as well as the continuation of the future support from Sasa for the students of this higher education institution were discussed. “It is our great pleasure to continue our collaboration with the Faculty of Natural and Technical Sciences, this scholarship program for the students of this faculty is particularly significant to us. With its implementation, we want to encourage young people to choose to study technical sciences that will ensure a strong foundation for future career development in our industry. At the same time, we hope that this kind of our support will be an additional motivation for young people to build their future here, in their local community and their homeland, instead of going abroad,” said the Sasa Foundation Director Ivica Talevski. In addition to financial support, during their studies, Sasa enables its scholarship holders to get to know the way of work and functioning of a modern and responsible mine. Those who show the best results during their studies will receive additional points when applying for employment at Sasa. “Thanks to the constant innovations and investments in state-of-the-art equipment, technology and practices, the Sasa mine offers excellent opportunities for young people who want to build their professional skills and their career in the industry. Recognising this potential, for us as a higher educational and scientific institution, collaboration with Sasa is particularly significant. Through such collaboration, we enable our students during their studies to get the significant practical knowledge and understand all the important aspects of the profession they have chosen. The particularly significant part of that collaboration is the scholarships provided by Sasa for our students, which help and further motivate them to strive for the best academic achievements in the field,” says Prof. Dr. Gjorgi Dimov – Dean of the Faculty of Natural and Technical Sciences at “Goce Delchev” University.
New donations from SASA Foundation to the local community
As part of its continuous support to the local community, SASA Mine, through its Foundation for Sustainable Development, recently fulfilled donations in three areas that have been identified as particularly significant for the life and prosperity of the entire community. The first donation a contribution to the environment and consists of different types of deciduous and evergreen trees that will be planted in eight locations throughout the town of Makedonska Kamenica. The selection of the exact locations, the preparation of the terrain and the planting of the trees will be carried out by the teams from the public utility company “Kamena Reka”. This is not the first environmental donation. The SASA mine and the SASA Foundation continuously invest in reforestation on the territory of the Makedonska Kamenica municipality. Also, books were donated that will contribute to the enrichment of the literary fund of the city library “Krste Petkov Misirkov” in Makedonska Kamenica. The latest donation from SASA Mine and SASA Foundation consists of new books that will bring the total literary fund in this library to over 14,000 editions, intended for readers of all ages. The third donation is in the area of protection and affirmation of cultural heritage. For this purpose, SASA Foundation provided new sets of men’s and women’s folk costumes for the members of the cultural and artistic society “Vera Jocic” from Makedonska Kamenica. The SASA mine, through its Foundation, will continue to invest in various areas that are significant for the local community and that improve the quality of people’s lives.
24 works selected from the art competition for children’s drawings for 2023
Due to the large number of artworks that were submitted to the competition for children’s drawings related to the operation of the mine and its importance for the family and the community, Sasa Mine decided to double the number of drawings that will be used as New Year’s illustrations. Out of a total of 138 art works that were submitted in this year’s art competition, instead of 12, as previously planned, 24 drawings were selected to be used as illustrations for Sasa’s calendars for 2024. As last year, the other drawings received in the competition will decorate the New Year greetings that will be sent to Sasa Mine’s employees, associates and partners. The artworks selection committee, commented that all the drawings that arrived at this year’s art competition are truly exquisite and beautifully portray the way children experience Sasa mine and the impact of its operation on their families and the community. We sincerely thank all the children who participated in the competition and encourage them to continue developing their talent. This is a second consecutive year that Sasa Mine has run a competition for artworks by children between the ages of 5 and 15 who live in Makedonska Kamenica municipality, as well as Sasa employees’ children. Its main goal is to encourage creativity and talent development among children from the local community.
Open call for participation to children art competition 2023
This year too, the SASA Mine is announcing a public art competition for children’s drawings with motifs related to the operation of the mine and its significance for people, families and the local community. All children from 5 to 15 years of age who live in the municipality of Makedonska Kamenica, as well as the children of SASA employees who are of that age, are eligible for the competition. Artworks should be submitted no later than November 27, 2023 to the Office for Communication with the Community of SASA Mine (St. Rudarska no. 28, Makedonska Kamenica). SASA employees may submit their children’s work to the Personnel Office. The following information should be written on the back of the drawing: name and surname of the child; name and surname of the parent/guardian; date of birth of the child; residential address and contact telephone number. By submitting their artwork, the child and their parent/guardian automatically give permission for it to be used by SASA. By the end of November, a committee will select the top 12 works of art that committee members believe best represent the SASA mine and its contribution to people and the community. Each winner will be awarded with 3,000 denars. These drawings will be used to create a calendar for the year 2024 that will be intended for the employees and associates of SASA Mine, as well as for other appropriate occasions.
The new Training Center for SASA employees was opened
Following its strategy of continuous investments in the development of human capital and continuous improvement of the knowledge and skills of employees, SASA Mine opened a new Center for training its employees. The new center is located in the same building with the Office for Communication with the Local Community at 28 “Rudarska” Street in Makedonska Kamenica. The fact that the Center is located in the city, instead of in the mining complex, will allow the employees to get away from their daily work responsibilities and fully concentrate on the topics that will be presented in the framework of the trainings. Modern equipment has been installed in this Center, which makes it possible to carry out different types of lectures and presentations in several languages, by experts from different fields from our country and from abroad. In this way, SASA employees get the opportunity to expand their existing and acquire new knowledge in several areas. In addition to this new Center for employee, which is designed for soft skills development, SASA also has a Training Center in which, according to a certified program, practical professional training is carried out for students and other persons who are not employed by SASA and wish to improve their practical skills in areas which are related to technological processes in SASA.
Donation of books from SASA for the library in Makedonska Kamenica
In honour of the annual celebration of Miners’ Day and the holiday celebrating the town of Makedonska Kamenica, SASA Mine donated over 200 books to the “Krste Petkov Misirkov” library. With this donation, SASA continues to contribute to the further development of the public library. This library offers over 14,000 books for readers of all ages, in the town and surrounding area. The new books donated by SASA were officially handed over on August 15, 2022 by representatives of the SASA management team and the Mayor of Makedonska Kamenica, Dimcho Atanasovski. The library had requested additional educational books and novels for both adults and children. Prior to this event, SASA managers and Mayor Atanasovski discussed the cooperation between the SASA mine and the local government, as well as the opportunities and future projects that will result from this donation. This contribution will enhance the prosperity of the local community. “We are delighted to have the opportunity, in celebration of Miners Day, to meet the Mayor of Makedonska Kamenica and to discuss SASA’s investments in sustainable development. Our cooperation and the realisation of projects are significant for the local community. This was also a good opportunity to hand over the latest donation from SASA to the library. This is another indicator of the strength of the synergy that exists between SASA and the community of Makedonska Kamenica. We as a company will continue to invest in projects in the local community,” SASA General Director Scott Yelland stated.
