One of the poorest families in the village of Ban Nam Hom talks of the positive effects of MAG’s clearance project in the areas surrounding the Plain of Jars sites.
“People from neighbouring villages have been killed whilst farming. Every time I dug the earth I was afraid I would hit some UXO (unexploded ordnance).
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“I am not afraid any more” - Mrs Boun, Ban Nam Hom village |
“I was also afraid for my children. As my husband is dead, my children help with the farming. I used to worry about what might happen to them.”
Mrs Boun had good cause to be frightened. More than 40 items of UXO were found in Ban Nam Hom, where MAG has cleared agricultural land as part of its efforts with UNESCO to improve food security on the Plain of Jars in Xieng Khouang province.
The area, so named because of its thousands of mysterious stone urns, is one of the world’s most dangerous archaeological sites, heavily contaminated by UXO dropped during the conflicts of the late 1960s/early 1970s.
UXO contamination is one of the prime factors limiting long-term
development in Laos.
The land cleared included a small plot of
farmland owned by Mrs Boun, who says her family is one of the poorest in
the village.
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“I am not afraid anymore,” she says. “Now I don’t have to be careful when I dig, I can put all my strength into the job.”
Mrs Boun plants rice and also grows sweetcorn, some of which she sells to generate income. She now hopes to improve her yields and lift her family out of poverty.
18 October 2007
See also:
Bombs and relics
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