There are many ways for pupils and teachers to help vulnerable communities living in post-conflict areas.
See our Fundraising ideas for schools and Teachers' fact sheet pages.
Download the Schools Pack.
About MAG
MAG (Mines Advisory Group) was established in 1989 as a means to end the devastation caused by landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO)1 on innocent civilians after war had ended.
MAG is a prerequisite to any development work following conflict, simply by making the land safe again and free from hidden dangers left over from war. Other vital humanitarian aid agencies can’t access communities until the area is safe. Refugees can’t return home, and people are denied the basic human necessities of water and access to farm land to grow crops when there is a presence, or suspected presence, of UXO and landmines.
[ 1 Unexploded ordnance, or UXO, refers to xxplosive weapons – such as bombs, rockets, missiles, mortars and grenades – that did not explode when they were used and still pose a risk of detonation, potentially many decades after they were employed or discarded.]
What happens to money raised by schools
The money that you raise will help MAG save the lives of civilians living in danger – people who are living with explosive weapons, often quite literally, on their doorsteps. Your efforts will make a real contribution to the work that MAG carries out on a daily basis, helping us to return land to people who desperately need it, giving them safe access to agricultural areas, schools, wells, health clinics and other community resources.
Ninety-six per cent of MAG’s income is derived from governments and institutions who help MAG by supporting specific programmes around the world. The money that we raise in the UK from public donations, schools and community groups is used where MAG considers the need greatest and allows us to respond in emergency situations, as in Lebanon and Gaza.
Case study: MAG's emergency response in Lebanon, 2006
MAG was the first humanitarian aid agency on the ground clearing
cluster bombs2, most of which had been dropped during the last three days
of the war.
MAG worked with the Lebanese Armed Forces during
this emergency phase, to help other humanitarian agencies safely
deliver emergency and rehabilitation aid, and enable communities to
return home.
“Directly after the ceasefire, everybody returned to
check on their houses and belongings,” explained farmer Rasheed
Yassine, who lives with his wife and nine children in Qossaybe village. “The
scene was shocking, with destruction and wreckage and cluster bombs
covering large expanses of land everywhere – between houses, on
agricultural ground, and in gardens and orchards.
“The cluster bombs problem became our daily worry. Nobody dared to move around or enter his field. During the first week, dozens of victims fell to cluster bombs in neighbouring villages. If not for the rapid intervention of MAG, we would have removed them ourselves despite the danger.”
[ 2 Cluster bombs, or cluster munitions, are weapons which can be dropped from the air or fired from the ground. They release numerous explosive fragments – bomblets, or submunitions. Bomblets which fail to explode on impact pose the threat of death or injury long after conflict is over. Their presence means a lack of access to safe land, limiting agricultural development, the reconstruction of vital infrastructure, and the work of relief and development agencies.]
How MAG helps schools worldwide
MAG strategically concentrates activities where the impact will benefit communities the most. Clearing land so that pupils can continue their education, or for the construction or reconstruction of schools, is a priority.
Below are some case studies highlighting MAG's positive impact on schools.
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