To Walk in Safety

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To Walk in Safety
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The Landmine Problem

• 45-50 million landmines in the ground in at least
  70 countries.
• Up to 20,000 people die or are maimed each year.
• More than 300,000 maimed landmine survivors
  worldwide.

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Why demining is so important

• Saves Lives
• Provides safe access to food and water
• Promotes peace and economic development
• Reduces poverty

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Why demining is so important

• Helps ensure people have enough to eat
• Promotes self-sufficiency for individuals and
  countries
• Keeps families intact and healthy
• Protects at-risk refugee and displaced person
  populations

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What is a landmine?
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A landmine is

• An explosive device set in place near or below
  the surface of the ground (or water) designed to
  explode on contact.
• Tripwire activated
• Pressure activated
• The two main types are
• Anti-personnel landmines (APLs)
• Anti-vehicle landmines (AVLs)

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Types of Landmines

• APL
• Blast APL
• Fragmentation APL

• AVL
• Blast AVL
• Penetration AVL

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Unexploded Ordnance (UXO)

• Includes grenades, artillery shells, rockets and
  aircraft bombs. These can be active for decades
  after conflict.
• Landmines and UXO can be rigged to create booby
  traps and improvised explosive devises (IEDs),
  which are a growing threat.

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History of Landmines

• First used on a large scale in WWI, landmines
  were planted throughout the 20th century as a
  physical and psychological deterrent.
• Despite treaties to mark location and perimeter
  of mine fields, enforcement is difficult to
  nonexistent.

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Difficulties of Mine Clearance

• Detection and clearance are time-consuming,
  expensive, and often occur in countries with poor
  infrastructure.
• Minefields are not always mapped or mapped
  accurately.

• Mines are often placed around homes, schools,
  roads and farm lands.

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Consequences of landmines

• Blocked access to water sources
• Psychological trauma and financial ruin for
  survivors.
• Economic stagnation and dependence

• Human suffering and poverty
• Unusable farm land and food shortages

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• A Fellowship committed to ridding the world of
  mines and UXO and working to improve the lives of
  people affected by mines.
• Mine action projects fit within the World Service
  component of Rotary.
• Rotarians for Mine Action promotes

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Mine Risk EducationTeaching safe behavior to
civilians in mine-affected areas.
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Humanitarian DeminingDetecting and clearing
landmines and UXO.
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Survivor AssistanceProviding medical,
psychological, and rehabilitation services
to landmine survivors and their families.

• Prosthetics
• Therapy
• Counseling
• Vocational training

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Economic Development

• Building wells and water systems
• Building schools
• Providing micro credit    
• Providing farm animals and tools

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Getting Started with a Mine Action Project
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Getting Started

• Using the Rotarians for Mine Action
  (www.rfma.org) website
• Choose the type of project you want (mine
  removal, survivor assistance, etc.).
• Find a partner NGO in the Rotary resource
  directory on the website.
• Email the partner listed in the database to
  discuss a joint project.

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Explore a District-Wide Initiative

• More clubs and increased resources allow
  larger-scale projects, i.e. demining an entire
  village.
• Coordinating with other clubs expands your Rotary
  fellowship and friendships.

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Multi-district Projects

• Ask your World Community Services chair for
  contacts in other districts.
• Decide on a project and a lead person.
• Register your project on the www.rfma.org web
  site.

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Checking on your project

• Ask your partner NGO about visiting your project.
• Update the RFMA.org project website during and
  after project completion.

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Sources of Information

• Source material for this presentation came from
  the Landmine Action Smart Book, first and second
  editions, edited by the Mine Action Information
  Center, James Madison University, Harrisonburg,
  VA, USA
• Produced by Sally Bader Mackle, Rotary Club of
  Seattle, 2005
• Thank you to the following for the use of their
  photos, assistance and information
• HALO Trust, Edward Jellen, Sally Bader Mackle,
  Mines Advisory Group (MAG), One Sir Lanka
  Foundation, Rotarians for Mine Action, US
  Department of State, Office of Weapons Removal
  and Abatement