Since being accredited as a demining operator in 2006, Handicap International has cleared more than 25,000 unexploded ordnances (UXO) in Laos, the most heavily bombed country, per capita, on earth. Leonard Kaminski, the New Zealand-born chief of operations for Handicap International’s demining program in Laos, answers questions about Lao’s UXO problem and the organization’s efforts to clear these weapons.

More than 50,000 people in Laos have been killed or injured by explosive remnants of war leftover from the Vietnam War. Millions of bombs still litter the land. Handicap International mine risk education teams educate children and adults about how to protect themselves and reduce the risk of accidents from these deadly weapons. 
 

Between 1964 and 1973, the U.S. dropped millions of bombs on Laos as part of secret campaign to cut off North Vietnamese supply routes through the country. Today, Laotians like Nang, a mother of five, are still being injured and killed by explosive remnants of war. Handicap International helps victims to regain their economic independence. In 2015, the organization gave Nang two goats so she could start a breeding business.
 

A small wooden house along a road, in a small village not far from the Mekong river. A man leaning on a crutch is selling a bottle of water, while a woman is vigorously washing laundry in a bowl. Tirean and Navea were both victims of mines in the 1980s. They are both monitored by the Handicap International rehabilitation centre in Kompong Cham.

In early 2016, Handicap International launched its weapons clearance actions in the governorates of Kirkuk and Diyala, in Iraq. Clearance operations will soon start in these regions, after several months of preliminary non-technical surveys and the marking of contaminated areas.

Two years ago, we met Nouay Phonesomxay, a Lao cluster bomb victim and Handicap International deminer. In May 2016, we caught up with Nouay as he and his team cleared land around Ponntong village, which was located near the former Ho Chi Minh Trail. During the Vietnam War, the North Vietnamese used the Ho Chi Minh Trail to bring supplies through Laos to support troops in Southern Vietnam. This route was heavily bombed by the U.S., and a high level of UXO pollution remains in the area today.
Under the blazing sun and 102F (39C) heat, Nouay Phonesomxay and his fellow Handicap International deminers slowly move through the dense vegetation inside a 2,500 square meter plot, looking for bombs. Once primary jungle, the foliage was decimated by U.S. bombing during the Vietnam War and now only weeds and bramble grown here.

Baramulla Tigers against the Kupwara Tigers. In early June 2016, Handicap International organized the first ever cricket match to include players with and without disabilities at Handwara degree college, in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. A big success and an opportunity to foster the inclusion of young people with disabilities in society.  

Handicap International provides risk education on the explosive remnants of war that contaminate the ground in villages close to boarder with Pakistan. The organisation also provides rehabilitation care to the most vulnerable people.

The conflict that tore through the Gaza Strip in summer 2014 not only caused extensive material damage, it left nearly 10,000 unexploded devices behind: rockets, missile warheads and bombs. Since March 2015, Handicap International’s teams have been raising the awareness of people living in the worst-affected neighbourhoods to prevent potentially deadly accidents. One such session, in Deir Al-Balah, led to the defusing of four unexploded devices.

Handicap International’s demining expert, Simon Elmont, coordinates the organization’s efforts to protect civilians from explosive remnants of war in Iraq. These actions aim at clearing areas formerly contaminated (previous wars) or zones affected more recently by conflicts, such as territories occupied by the Islamic State group. 

Since March 2016, Handicap International has worked with almost 20,000 people raising awareness of small arms and light weapons and explosive remnants of war in northern Mali.   This awareness-raising campaign will continue for another year. The objective is to reduce the very high number of accidents in this region of the country where weapons are commonplace following the intense fighting that took place in 2012-2013.
 

In Iraq, Handicap International runs psychosocial support sessions for people affected by the crisis, many of whom have been displaced from their homes. In Kirkuk governorate, the organization runs regular group sessions to help them overcome theirs traumas related to the conflict.

In June 2016, after two years of fighting between the Iraqi and Kurdish forces and the Islamic State group, more than 3.4 million people have been displaced in Iraq. Since the start of the crisis, Handicap International has been providing assistance to these displaced people. And some of the organisation’ staff members also share their experiences. Hareth, Zahra and Rana fled their city to escape the fighting. Now, they tell us their story.

Saadi was forced to flee his hometown in Iraq after it fell into the hands of the Islamic State group. Months later, the armed group retreated from his region and Saadi returned to check on his house. The instant he opened the front door, a bomb exploded, leaving him seriously injured. Today, Saadi and his family are trying to recover from this traumatic event with help from Handicap International.

Abdelillah lost his leg in an attack on his home village, in the centre of Iraq, more than ten years ago. In 2014, when the Islamic State group seized control of his region, Abdelillah fled with his family to the north of the country. As part of the response it provides to displaced Iraqis, Handicap International has offered Abdelillah the chance to attend psychosocial and physiotherapy sessions.