Protecting Children from the Dangers of Unexploded Ordnance
It is not widely known that the small province of Quang Tri in Central Vietnam was one of the most heavily bombed and shelled areas in the history of warfare. Leftover Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) have killed and injured more than 100,000 Vietnamese nationwide, about a third of those children, since the war ended in 1975. In Quang Tri Province alone there have been more than 7,000 casualties, including 2,635 fatalities.
Despite the reduction in UXO accidents in the districts where RENEW is operational, UXO accidents still occur province-wide. The leading causes were searching for war scrap and tampering with UXO. In 2012, Quang Tri Province recorded 12 casualties, including two deaths. The majority of these accidents were concentrated in Dong Ha City and Quang Tri Town, the two major urban centers of Quang Tri Province with a combined population of 117,000 inhabitants. People and children born after the war are often disconnected from its lethal legacy. Lack of education and awareness can come down to a matter of life and death. Children living in remote rural areas are considered the most vulnerable to UXO accidents and need to have access to information and education about the threat of UXO.
To address this need, Project RENEW has developed a program that integrates risk education into field trips to the Mine Action Visitor Center, a newly established educational and information facility in Dong Ha City. In this approach, children are provided with one day trip to the Mine Action Visitor Center where they have access to information regarding Quang Tri’s turbulent history during the war, the lasting impact of the war on the province and the value of peace and security. More importantly, children have the chance to participate in risk education activities that promote a greater awareness of ERW risks and safe behaviors.
The program aims at:
- Offering young children and teenagers lively and entertaining risk education sessions, focusing on basic facts and figures on ERW legacies, joint efforts to overcome, stories of survivors through witnessing exhibited photos, watching documentary films, learning models and specimen at the Mine Action Visitor Center.
- Providing children with information that will not only save their lives but potentially the lives of their peers, parents and people in their neighborhoods that they share this information with.
- Encouraging children and adults to report ERW sightings to Project RENEW's clearance teams for safe and quick removal.
A child will participate in an integrated UXO risk education session with resources for knowledge sharing with his family and community members on how to avoid UXO accidents.
Telephone: +84 3567 338
Fax: +84 3567 339
Email: [email protected]
Contact: Mr. Nguyen Thanh Phu, Manager Assistant
Mobile: (+84) 935 211 281
What To Bring
In-kind donations (books, candies, spare change, toys...etc.)
Do you like what this project is doing? Add a comment and share your review with others. Sign In now to review and comment.
No reviews yet. Be the first one to review