Our Partners
Meet the team
Becoming Moyo Gemstones
At the heart of Moyo Gems are the mining communities of East Africa. These dynamic communities first inspired Moyo Gems, helped co-create it, and are represented by the following organizations to represent their interests: the Tanzania Women Miners Association (TAWOMA), TAWOMA Youth, and the Association of Women in Energy & Extractives (AWEIK).
Moyo Gems is operated by the international nonprofit organization Pact. It is independent, non-religious, non-profit, and has been in existence for more than 50 years. More information at www.pactworld.org
Moyo Gems was co-founded by Tanzanian women gem miners, TAWOMA, Pact, and international gem traders ANZA Gems and Nineteen48, and later joined by Maison Piat and AWEIK. Pact and the mining groups (AWEIK, TAWOMA, and TAWOMA Youth) manage in-region operations, whilst the gem trading companies export the gems to you! (the leading designers and jewelers!)
We all have a role to play in changing the world. What is yours? Join us by buying or helping us grow through your tax-deductible philanthropic gift (tax receipts available in the US).
Salma Kundi and Eunice Negele (TAWOMA), with program manager Rebecca Villalobos (Pact). March 2019
Industry partners (full bios)
Stuart Pool, Nineteen48
Monica Stephenson, ANZA GEMS
Monica Stephenson, ANZA GEMS
Stuart is a specialist in responsibly mined and fully traceable colored gemstones, mainly sourced directly from mines in Sri Lanka and Tanzania. He runs gem trading company Nineteen48 and is a co-founder of Fair Luxury, a group focused on positive change in the jewellery industry. Stuart works closely with local mine owners to provide a
Stuart is a specialist in responsibly mined and fully traceable colored gemstones, mainly sourced directly from mines in Sri Lanka and Tanzania. He runs gem trading company Nineteen48 and is a co-founder of Fair Luxury, a group focused on positive change in the jewellery industry. Stuart works closely with local mine owners to provide a mine-to-market service, from extracting the rough gem material and the cutting and polishing of gemstones, right up to the sale of gems to the end customer, both wholesale and retail. The emphasis throughout the supply chain is on maximum transparency and fair benefits to everyone involved. More at www.nineteen48.com
Monica Stephenson, ANZA GEMS
Monica Stephenson, ANZA GEMS
Monica Stephenson, ANZA GEMS
Monica Stephenson, a writer, jewelry expert, and entrepreneur with over 20 years experience in the jewelry industry, chronicles stories of artisan jewelry designers on the award-winning jewelry blog, idazzle.com. In 2015 she launched ANZA Gems, which fuels development in Kenya and Tanzania through fair trade gem purchasing and supporting
Monica Stephenson, a writer, jewelry expert, and entrepreneur with over 20 years experience in the jewelry industry, chronicles stories of artisan jewelry designers on the award-winning jewelry blog, idazzle.com. In 2015 she launched ANZA Gems, which fuels development in Kenya and Tanzania through fair trade gem purchasing and supporting education in gemstone communities. She is on the national board of the Women’s Jewelry Association and Ethical Metalsmiths, and is a frequent speaker about social media and responsible sourcing. Follow her global adventures as an “accidental gem dealer” on social media at @idazzle, @anzagems, and www.anzagems.com
LOU Anna Piat, Maison Piat
Monica Stephenson, ANZA GEMS
LOU Anna Piat, Maison Piat
Maison Piat is a family-owned business renowned for its expertise in sourcing exceptional natural colored gemstones. Lou-Anna Piat leads the Moyo Gems project within the company, exclusively managing this initiative to ensure that ethical sourcing, transparency, and traceability remain central to its operations. Lou-Anna’s father, Emman
Maison Piat is a family-owned business renowned for its expertise in sourcing exceptional natural colored gemstones. Lou-Anna Piat leads the Moyo Gems project within the company, exclusively managing this initiative to ensure that ethical sourcing, transparency, and traceability remain central to its operations. Lou-Anna’s father, Emmanuel Piat, has been at the helm of Maison Piat for over 20 years, establishing it as a trusted partner for prestigious jewelry brands worldwide. Under his leadership, the company became the world first colored gemstone house to achieve RJC certification in 2020.
For more information, visit https://www.piat.com/en/
Tanzania partners (full bios)
Salma Kundi
Ms. Kundi is a green tourmaline miner and Secretary General of the Tanzania Women Miners Association (TAWOMA). She has been involved improving conditions and opportunities for women miners for ten years. She has presented on Moyo Gems at the Chicago Responsible Jewelry Conference (2018, 2019), and at the Kenya Gem & Jewellery Exhibition (2019).
Lightness Walters
Bio coming!
SPECIOSER
Bio coming!
Kenya Partners! (Full bios)
Hannah W.
Michelle M.
Michelle M.
Bio coming soon
Michelle M.
Michelle M.
Michelle M.
Bio coming soon
Julius
Michelle M.
Julius
Bio coming soon
Pact team (full bios)
Cristina M. Villegas
Cristina M. Villegas
Cristina M. Villegas
Director, Sustainable Markets, Pact
Cristina is a recognized global expert in ASM, has nearly 20 years of experience in the international development sector, and is a popular speaker on responsible mining and jewelry themes. She is an advisory council member of the Gemstone Knowledge Hub and Ethical Metalsmiths, among others, and is on the board of the Jewelry Industry Summit. Cristina is a graduate of UC San Diego, the London School of Economics, and lectures at the Columbia University’s massive open online course (MOOC) and Executive Courses focused on extractives. Prior to joining Pact in 2014, she focused on diamonds and gold at specialist consulting firms in the US & UK, worked with WWF, the Fund for Global Human Rights, and the World Bank. Originally from Northern California, she has lived and worked for extended periods in London, UK, Kampala, Uganda, and Washington, DC. She is on Instagram at cristina.rocks and pact.rocks
Norbert Massay
Cristina M. Villegas
Cristina M. Villegas
Senior Program Manager, Pact Tanzania
Norbert Massay is our man in the field and longtime program manager at Pact Tanzania. He leads all aspects of Moyo Gems' work in Tanzania, from Market Days improvements to new partnerships, client visits, and everything in between. He now also manages the Africa-wide educational partnership focused with the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). Before joining Pact in 2012, Massay worked for a Pact-Tanzania partner organization for four years focused on health projects. Massay has BS in Environmental Management and MA in Community Development from Sokoine University of Agriculture, an MBA from the University of Dar es Salaam, and has taken coursework from Edumine. He speaks fluent English and Kiswahili.
Esther Ndeki njunge
Cristina M. Villegas
Esther Ndeki njunge
Senior Program Manager, Pact Kenya
Esther Ndeki Njunge is a highly experienced manager with a career spanning over 15 years in both the private and public sectors. She oversees the Moyo Gems program in Kenya, including the gem marketplace operations and the economic empowerment components. She also leads new partnerships focused on promoting value addition, regional trade links, and youth (young adult) entrepreneurship (ages 18-35). She has an MBA focused in Strategic Management from Africa Nazarene University and speaks fluent English and Kiswahili.
Donors
Pact
Everledger
Everledger
Pact provided early investment capital to scope, launch, and fully implement the project until it became sustainably self-financed. The program is now financed through an allocation of sales revenue by Nineteen48 and ANZA and through ongoing in-kind technical support by Pact. Your purchases of Moyo Gemstones fund this program.
Everledger
Everledger
Everledger
Everledger is a frontier technology company and has invested significant in-kind support to ensure that blockchain technology works for everyone, including remote ASM producers.
Nineteen48 & ANZA Gems
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Nineteen48 and ANZA Gems are commercial partners in this program but have put countless hours on design and field time to ensure this solution is both commercially feasible AND works for the ASM gem producers in region. #Leadership
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Help us grow through grants! Contact Pact directly with grant discussions: +1 202-466-5666
Alumni
Hidden heroes
We sincerely thank Rebecca Villalobos, Katie Fackler, Katie Hallaran, Brian Vo, and Sostenes Msilanga for their early leadership roles in the Moyo Gems program. We could not have done it without them! They are both Pact and Moyo Gems alumni, and will forever be members of #TeamSparkle. We also thank Carrie George, formerly of Everledger, of her gentle guidance early in the program launch phase.
In memoriam
Edward Mendelson, an Australian gemmologist, was an early part of the team, participating in the co-design workshop in Tanga in June 2018. He passed away unexpectedly in December 2018 in London. We miss him dearly.
