Risk education saves lives

Mohammad Al-Abdullah was displaced by war. He talks about how important it is to raise awareness of the dangers of explosive remnants of war:

Injured by an explosive ordnance  

“I am Mohammad Al-Abdullah, a displaced person from Homs. I was forced to flee my home in 2016 because my neighbourhood was being destroyed by relentless bombing at that time. During my displacement, I was injured while trying to remove an item of unexploded ordnance. I lost my hand and had shrapnel injuries to my whole body. Honestly, I was unaware of the dangers of explosive remnants of war at that time.

After my injury, I was displaced to the Azaz area (North of Syria) and settled with my family in the Shamarin camp for a long period. While living in the camp, an HI risk education team visited us. They talked to us about the dangers of explosive remnants of war and explained the behaviour to adopt to avoid risks. They also supported my mother, who suffers from multiple mobility issues and was in urgent need of assistive devices and mobility aids. We are grateful to the organisation for the services they provided, which greatly helped my mother.

I became a risk education trainer  

One of the most important experiences that significantly changed my life was participating in training on how to conduct explosive ordnance awareness sessions. I have since conducted numerous awareness-raising sessions for the community I live in, and they have had a tremendously positive impact, changing people's behaviour and protecting their lives. I sincerely thank the organisation for these vital services that support people with disabilities and protect people from the dangers of explosive remnants of war.

My hometown is destroyed  

Last December, we decided to return to our hometown. However, our joy at going home was short-lived. When we arrived, we found that our house had been completely destroyed, and the whole area was littered with explosives and landmines. Many people had been injured since returning home due to their lack of knowledge about unexploded ordnance and about how to behave around it. Especially children, who had suffered injuries from playing with the cluster bombs scattered across the area.

These heartbreaking scenes had a profound effect on me, and I became deeply concerned for the safety of my family and children because of the widespread contamination. Therefore, I made the difficult decision to return to the camp and stay there until this contamination has been cleared and the area properly rebuilt.

To continue risk education  

What we urgently need now is for humanitarian organisations to continue supporting people with disabilities through rehabilitation projects and to continue raising awareness about the dangers of explosive remnants of war. Education sessions on explosive ordnance and safe behaviour are a lifeline for our children and for all of us. Thanks to these sessions, we have become more aware of the dangers surrounding us and how to avoid them. Continuing this support is not just a necessity—it is our only hope for a safer and more stable future.

I extend my gratitude to everyone who has contributed to this project and call for the continuation of these noble efforts. Stopping them would be a grave mistake.