A new vision for Vangkhom: help unlock the land

More than four decades ago, Laos was bombed relentlessly in an attempt to disrupt movement along the Ho Chi Minh trail, which was a key supply route for the North Vietnamese, during the Vietnam War. The numbers are astounding: 580,000 bombing missions took place during the war, that’s a planeload of bombs every 8 minutes! Around a third of these deadly bombs did not explode, and are still a persistent, hidden threat for thousands of communities across Laos. Every bomb could kill.

During the war, parts of Khammouane province suffered the highest number of cluster bombs dropped on Laos. One of the villages in Khammouane province is Vangkhom. It is a small village, home to 151 people, but during the Vietnam War it was hit by almost 6,000 bombing raids – that’s about 213 bombing missions for every square kilometre. Many of those bombs still lie hidden, waiting to kill or maim when disturbed by a curious child or a farmer at work.

There has never been a better time to give: a donation of £25 — given before 24 July and doubled by the UK government to £50 — could unlock 56sqm of land in Vangkhom

We hope to fund a team for 12 months so that vital land can be unlocked and cleared of explosives for safe use by all 151 members of the community.

We know you share the vision for a Laos where women, girls, boys and men live free from the fear and danger of unexploded bombs, where fear is not a barrier to people taking control of their futures.

A gift of £44 from you could clear 100 square metres of land in and around Vangkhom village, making it safe for families. And with the value of your gift doubled by the UK government, that becomes 200 square metres of danger-free land - and the hope of a safer future for the children of Vangkhom.