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| One of two all-female MAG Lao PDR teams. |
MAG trains and employs staff from the local populations, tackling poverty and building robust and sustainable national workforces.
Of the current 2,100-plus 'national' staff around the world, around 15 per cent are female.
Employing women – and proving their ability to undertake demanding work in difficult conditions – raises their status amongst the communities they come from, and encourages other employers to do the same.
Below, three women from South-east Asia tell us about their experiences working as MAG technicians.
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More on MAG's female staff: |
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Liv Chanra, 27, deminer, MAG Cambodia
Do you have children?
I have two daughters – one is seven and the other is five. I got married in 2001, but my husband died of meningitis in 2007.
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National importance:
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When did you train to become a deminer?
After passing the job interview, I received a month's training in standard operating procedures (SOPs) in June 2008. I was sent to work only after I was familiar with all of the procedures.
Why did you decide to become a deminer?
I was jobless back then and needed to feed my family, most importantly. I thought that if I could obtain a job with MAG, I would be able to overcome the hardship in my family and be capable of feeding my two children and sending them to school. Besides my children, my mother and two of her siblings live with me and none of them have a job. I thought I could reduce the poverty in our family, and at the same time help clear landmines and return the land to people so that they can cultivate it.
Why didn’t you choose another job?
It is really hard for me, as a woman who has very little schooling, to obtain a job. I think that it is really great that I have a job with MAG.
What is good about working as a deminer?
As I said, I depend on my salary to feed my family. However, the work not only benefits me personally but also benefits local people through ridding their contaminated land of landmines and threats so that they can work and cultivate it in safety.
What is difficult about working as a deminer?
We face some difficulties. One, we have to face danger. Two, we are women, and sometimes, we have to work in a very thick bush and we can’t see each other. However, we have our senior deminer who walks around us and we feel safe in her hands. Now I feel that I am used to this work. Sometimes, we have to carry heavy equipment to minefields which are located far away from the road and are inaccessible by vehicle. Sometimes, we have to walk across thick mud to reach our target areas.
Can you describe your work day?
I get up at 4 in the morning and begin cooking. At 5, we load our equipment onto the vehicle. If the minefield is far away from the accommodation, we depart at 5.30 and if it is near, we leave at 6. Upon arrival at the site, we remove the equipment from the vehicle and get ready to go into the minefield.
At exact 7am, we must be ready to work on the lanes marked on the minefield. In front of each lane, which is one metre wide, we start checking the land using metal detectors. If we hear a signal, we begin cutting the vegetation gently, checking which point the signal is from and excavating the soil.
We have no idea whether the source of signal is a landmine, unexploded ordnance or just a piece of metal, so we have to excavate it very cautiously. If a mine is found, I’ll place a triangular marker and blow a whistle to call the senior deminer. I am not allowed to touch it.
Every work day, we are permitted to take a 10-minute break every 45 minutes and take a break between 11.25 am and 12.25 pm for lunch. Our work day ends at 3 o'clock. We then carry our equipment back to the vehicle, load it on and return to the accommodation. Upon arrival, we remove the equipment out of the vehicle and keep it in the warehouse. Then I have time for a shower, going to the nearby market and cooking dinner.
Do you feel frightened when you see mines?
When I was very new to the job I felt frightened each time I found explosive items or mines. But now, I am very confident. I am not scared. I think that as long as I follow the SOPs, there will be no problem.
How long will you work as a deminer?
I really want to work as long as I can.
What will you do after you finish your work as a deminer?
I don’t have any job to do; maybe I have to depend on my physical strength.
Do you think more women will apply to do this work?
Personally, I believe that many women are willing to join MAG since the organisation does not discriminate between the sexes. [In general] it is still hard for Cambodian women to look for jobs.
Do you have any other comments about being a woman working as a deminer?
In my opinion, if men are able to fulfill their tasks 100 per cent, we can also fulfill ours 100 per cent as long as we follow the SOPs. Women can do the job like men do. Although we are weaker than men, we still can fulfill our tasks with good results and in safety. Women are more cautious. If we are careless, we will be in danger, or we’ll lose our job.
Magmanee Mung Nor Mek, 24, deminer, MAG Lao PDR
Do you have children?
I am married and am five months pregnant.
When did you train to become a deminer?
2007.
Why are you a deminer?
Because when I see people suffering from unexplored ordnance (UXO) I want to help them.
What is good about working as a deminer?
It gives people an opportunity to contribute to the clearance of UXO from their province.
What is difficult about working as a deminer?
We need patience and we need to make sure that we work in the way we have been taught. But after my child is born I might face some more difficulties.
[Deminers work away from home for three weeks then get one week off.]
Can you describe your work day?
Every day we leave from our camp at 6am. Usually we clear agricultural land. We clear existing fields and also new land so that people can grow more crops. Some days we clear land that can be used for access roads to villages – after we have cleared it, the community members can build their own road.
How long will you work as a deminer?
As long as I can, until MAG’s progamme are finished.
[There are currently no plans for MAG to stop working in Lao PDR as the scale of the contamination is so huge.]
What will you do after you finish your work as a deminer?
I don’t know yet. If I have nothing to do then I will just stay at home and take care of my baby.
[There are comparatively few job opportunities in rural areas of Lao PDR, particularly for women. Working for MAG is a secure and comparatively well paid job.]
Do you work with men and women?
No, Just women.
Do you have any other comments about being a woman working as a deminer?
I’m very proud to work as deminer, even though the job is challenging.
Hoang Thi Hai Ly, 39, deminer, MAG Vietnam
Do you have children?
I have three children, one girl and two boys.
When did you train to become a deminer?
November 2001.
Why are you a deminer?
I want to do something really good for my homeland. I believe that clearance work brings peace and safety to our lives. I still remember how happy I was on the day I was recruited.
What is good about working as a deminer?
I feel happy to contribute to society, to be a helpful citizen. I love my work and love seeing changes to society when I’ve been part of making them happen.
What is difficult about working as a deminer?
The weather. Hot and dry south-west winds during summer, while the temperatures can be very low in winter.
Can you describe your work day?
I am present at the office to pick up the equipment in the early morning, then arrive at the clearance site around 7am. I have lunch around 10.40 and resume work at 12. I wrap up work at around 3.40pm and get back to the office. I am normally at home at around 5 after buying something for dinner.
How long will you work as a deminer?
I want to work as a deminer until there are no more bombs in my homeland.
What will you do after you finish your work as a deminer?
At that time of my life it might be hard for me to find another job, so I will try to do something that can support my family and my children. Cattle or poultry breeding, maybe.
Do you have any other comments about being a woman working as a deminer?
Of course our physical strength may be not as good as the male staff, but I believe that female deminers can work as well as their male counterparts. And women are more detail-oriented and more careful.
Related articles:
- National importance: capacity building
- Independent woman: feature on a female deminer in the Democratic Republic of Congo
- In hot pursuit: MAG Lao's first female driver
- An all-female clearance team profiles
5 March 2010
