Although an intensive landmine removal effort has been underway in Afghanistan for years, these silent killers remain everywhere—on weedy footpaths, near irrigation ditches, and under bridges, scattered among the rubble of old military trucks, in the middle of dormant, once rich fields. They lay there, non-discriminating, waiting to be triggered—by a curious toddler as he bends to touch the glint of light on the fat button-like canister at his feet, a farmer’s plow as the man struggles to open up contaminated land his hungry family needs to cultivate, or a scavenging teenager hunting for scrap metal to sell in exchange for food or clothes. Almost 50% of the time, a child or young person is the victim—in a flash, an innocent life is doomed to death, blindness, or disability.
Since our inception, HTAC has championed the need to rehabilitate Afghan children who have been landmine victims. Now, in partnership with the Marshall Legacy Institute and its CHAMPS (Children Against Mines Program) International Program, we are educating Afghan children about land mines, providing prosthetics and rehabilitative care for selected landmine survivors, and through cultural exchange efforts, linking Afghan schools (where our program is being implemented) with U.S. ‘sister’ schools to spread awareness, and engage in fundraising efforts to assist Afghan landmine survivor rehabilitation costs. Click HERE to read the story of one of the landmine victims.
Through internet connection, we create opportunities for Afghan students “talk” on a monthly basis with their American counterparts which (in addition to educating American students on the perils of living and coping with landmines), provides the additional benefits of promoting global citizenship and appreciation of people and cultures between our two countries.
Return to top