| August 22nd, 2012 Let’s Rid the World of Landmines! | Send a letter to Secretary Clinton asking her for more action on landmines. | Clinton brought attention to victims of landmine explosions during a visit to Laos last month. The U.S. Military dropped more than 580,000 munitions on Laos during the Vietnam War and experts estimated that 30% of those bombs remained unexploded at the end of the conflict.  Secretary Clinton, visiting with victims during her trip to Laos, claimed that “we have to do more” to help those hurt by unexploded ordnance. She called on the international community to “join us in our efforts to bring this legacy of the Vietnam War to a safe end.” It’s time for Secretary Clinton to honor this commitment to do more, to ensure the safe use of land for civilians in areas ravaged by landmines and other unexploded us.
Send a letter to Secretary Clinton asking her to follow through on her commitment, to truly make our actions speak louder than our words. We can end this legacy of war and conflict by working together and demanding action now. In peace, - The GlobalSolutions.org Advocacy Team More From Our Partner, MAG...  You may recall that last month we introduced you to our partner on this campaign, the Mines Advisory Group (MAG).
MAG does great work clearing landmines and removing unexploded ordnance for the benefit of communities around the world, including the regions recently visited by Secretary Clinton. In fact, MAG has now cleared more than 38.7 million square metres of land in Laos and has found and destroyed more than 64,000 landmines in Cambodia. Check out a couple of their stories from the field...  Almost a year after clearing two minefields from a small village in Cambodia, the Mines Advisory Group (MAG) returned to Phlov Meas, Battambang province to see how life had changed for villagers. MAG has cleared almost 80,000 square meters of land from this former battlefield, removing 37 landmines and 32 items of unexploded ordnance (UXO) in the process. Thanks to MAG’s efforts:
- Safe land is now being used for resettlement and agriculture
- Three wells and water filters have been provided for the community
- Plans to dig a pond for the community are also underway
Before MAG undertook clearance work in the village, Sim Horn, a 41-year-old mother of seven, did not want to risk using her own land. Instead, she was forced to lease an uncontaminated piece of land in another part of the village and construct temporary housing. Just a few months before MAG arrived, Pin Ry, a local woman in her 80s, had a lucky escape. "The hoe hit the side of the mine. I lifted the hoe up and showed it to my son asking him, ‘what is it?' He told me, ‘Mother! Mine!'" Pin Ry said. "I put the hoe down very gently." She had hit other landmines on two previous occasions when she attempted to clear the land in front of her house. In one incident, she damaged an eye when a mine exploded as she dug the soil. Along with using cleared land for resettlement, the community will also use the land for farming and cultivation. Before MAG cleared the land, few crops were grown. According to community chief Vai Chamroeun, more than 90% of his community members now make a living by growing corn, sugarcane, beans, and sesame. "Fearful of mines, the villagers didn't expand the land for cultivation," says the community chief. "Now their lives are improving to a certain extent. It's not so hard like before. Today people live in safety." The stories of Sim Hom and Pin Ry and thousands of others like them highlight the critical importance of organizations like MAG. MAG’s work boosts economies by opening up land for agriculture, trade, and infrastructure development. But many communities worldwide still live with the dangers of landmines and unexploded ordnance. Visit MAG: http://www.maginternational.org | 
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