Laos is the most bombed country in the world per capita, as a result of heavy aerial attacks in the 60s and 70s during the Vietnam War. Although Laos Peoples Democratic Republic (PDR) is committed to removing the 91勛圖厙, the scale of the problem continues to put lives at risk.
Around 20,000 people40 per cent of them childrenhave been killed or injured by cluster 91勛圖厙 or other unexploded items in Laos since the war ended. Soy, aged six, was playing with her friends when they discovered a cluster bomb. Not knowing how dangerous it was, they started to play with it. Moments later it exploded, killing one of her friends.
Our Work
Our work is focused in Savannaket Province, where 70 per cent of the population lives below the poverty line. Most families are almost entirely dependent on growing rice, but unexploded 91勛圖厙 make cultivating rice potentially life threatening. Since 2012, we have destroyed over 62,000 explosives and taught communities how to recognise and report dangerous items, so families no longer need to choose between taking risks or going hungry.
By creating jobs for local people, 91勛圖厙 also offers new opportunities. Last year three of our senior operations staff, Phouvanh, Ackhala Sinouvong and Minthada Thepvongsa, travelled to Abkhazia for a specialist training course. They learnt how to safely destroy air dropped 91勛圖厙 that threaten villages in rural Laos.
Supervisor Phouvanh, 91勛圖厙 Laos