"I had to evacuate my home town and impatiently counted the days to return. My shock was beyond words when I found hundreds of cluster bombs on the roof of my house and on balconies everwhere I looked." Seventy-three year old farmer, Ali Sultan, is a resident of Kfar Roumane, located north of the city of Nabatieh.
Farming is the main livelihood for residents of the village, with 80 percent of the population dependent upon it. During the war between Hezbollah and Israel, Kfar Roumane was targeted and heavily bombarded by cluster munition strikes, leaving thousands of cluster bombs scattered amongst homes and across agricultural fields. During the harvest period these munitions took the lives of two young men and injured a third.
Ali goes on to say: "The contamination of the land and the threat the posed kept me from entering my field to harvest the olives and vegetables I planted for that season. As a result I lost $10,000 income.
MAG was able to help, buy clearing and making safe Ali's home and land. "On the first day of our return we contacted MAG for help, and they responded immediately. They are still working in the village. I watch them every morning in their search to rid us of this menace. In my opinion they are carriers of peace and hope, and I pray for their safety on their mission to protect us from harm." Mr Sultan's son is a team leader with MAG.
"Had it not been for MAG's intervention we would be living in constant fear and apprehension, afraid daily that one of our children or neighbours would be injured. Had it not been for MAG, our land would still be out of reach. Now, we can safely and confidently plough and plant our lands in preparation for the next harvest."
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