 |
MAG has been working in Colombia since July of 2009 providing Mine Risk Education and Community Liaison assessment in the Antioquia Department of Colombia. As a result of more than 40 years of internal conflict, Colombia is one of the most mine-affected countries in the world with an average of two new victims of landmine and unexploded ordnance (UXO) every day. To address this threat, MAG has established an office in Bogota, and deploys highly-trained staff to teach community members about the dangers of contamination.
MAG's Colombia program targets the most at-risk communities through the following activities:
- Community Liaison teams gather information from communities to identify landmines and UXO in need of clearance.
- Mine Risk Education (MRE) teams provide necessary information to communities to reduce the threat of injury or death from contamination.
MAG's work in Colombia has improved the quality of life for communities affected by conflict by providing vital information to at-risk populations. MRE gives community members information for safe access to basic necessities such as food and water, allowing many towns to begin the process of rebuilding. MAG also works in partnership with the Colombian Campaign Against Landmines and a local non-governmental organization in Antioquia called Paz y Democracia (Peace and Democracy). In the first three months of collaboration with these organizations, 14 facilitators from the 14 most-affected municipalities of Antioquia have been trained on MAG MRE Methodology. This ensures both safety and sustainability for many Colombian communities recovering from conflict.
"Mine Risk Education is a present for me and my children, a present that will allow them to have a future."
 |
MAG’s Community Liaison Manager in Colombia, Lorena Carrillo, says that, "MAG is making a difference in Colombia through the improvement of the MRE delivery capacity. The key thing has been to focus on reaching the highest risk populations in the 14 municipalities with a method that provides the basic, essential mine risk information that will lead the Colombians living in contaminated areas to perform safe behavior." "This is a present for me and my children, a present that will allow them to have a future," said Helga Maria Herrera Gomez, a teacher of El Escobero Primary School after hearing her students commit to taking care of themselves. They all received a bracelet with ‘I protect myself’ written on it, which shows these children have been given vital knowledge for safe behavior. |
