Burmese Landmine Victim Aided by CPI Emergency Funds

A farmer from the Karen State of Burma lost his lower left leg to a landmine while trying to return to his village after hiding for several months with his family in the mountains.

Karen Woman Counters Violence with Care and Compassion

As long as there are militaries and counterinsurgents and generals and juntas, there will also always be people like Mrs. Nana and countless other individuals who counter the terror and violence, the landmines and rape, with healthcare, education, food, shelter, and love.

Cambodian Villagers Benefit from CPI Savings Program

While loan programs are common in SE Asia, savings schemes are far more unusual. In Cambodia's Phum Seam Village, a CPI/CVCD initiated program has members pooling money and rice that can be borrowed at a very low interest rate in times of emergency.

Volunteer Visits CPI Staff & Programs in Vietnam

Longtime CPI volunteer Sandy Schubach shares her impressions of our staff and programs in Vietnam after a recent visit there.

Courage and Dedication in Lao PDR

Longtime CPI volunteer Sandy Schubach is traveling with Southeast Asia Program Director Melody Mociulski and videotaping some of our programs there. This week, they are in Lao PDR where Clear Path is establishing a micro-credit program in an area heavily impacted by mines. Ready about her impressions.

Mosques, Schools, Hospitals Made Accessible to Disabled Afghans

CPI has been at the forefront of developing practical guidelines for the construction of physical accessibility ramps in Afghanistan.

Afghan Cricket Team Wins Despite Disabilities

There are times when the term "disabled" simply doesn't apply. That's definitely true for the cricket team sponsored by Clear Path International in Afghanistan's Nangarhar Province. Although team members all possess some type of physical disability, their winning record...

Mines Advisory Group: Casualties from Landmine & Unexploded Ordnance Rise

Our friends at Mines Advisory Group have written about the increases in casualties from unexploded ordnance in Cambodia.

Seattle Man to Run 300K for Landmine Victims

A Seattle physical therapist will compete in one of the toughest footraces on the planet while raising funds to help landmine accident survivors.

Hearts and Mines: A documentary on the work of Clear Path International

All of us at Clear Path are thrilled to see the new trailer for HEARTS AND MINES the documentary by Dr. Joan Widdifield, a long-time CPI supporter. Hearts and Mines follows the CPI Vietnam staff as they work with landmine and bomb accident survivors and their families.

In Afghanistan, Goats Provide Livelihood for Landmine Survivors and More

In Clear Path's first survivor assistance project outside Kabul, 18 beneficiaries in the eastern city of Jalalabad received goats and animal husbandry training from CPI's local Afghan partner, Afghan Disabled & Vulnerable Society.

Landmine Surivivor Farmers' Co-op in Cambodia Doubles in Size

Life was a struggle for Ream Luong before he joined the farmer's cooperative set up by Clear Path International and its partner in one of Cambodia's most heavily mined regions. This spring, the partners doubled the co-op to 150 households from 75, expanding an enterprise that's helping many landmine accident survivors succeed as rice farmers.

Back To School: Nearly 500 Vietnamese Landmine Families Receive Clear Path International Support to Send Their Children Back to School

Mothers get teary-eyed when their kids return to school after the summer. But the tears Tran Phuong Nhu's mother shed outside her daughter's classroom were not from a typical sense of pride and separation. As she watched the eight-year-old girl go inside wearing her best uniform, she could not help think of her husband who is still in critical condition at the Quang Tri General Hospital from a landmine accident that happened in late July.

Clear Path International Provides The Gift of Hands for the Landmine Survivors at Care Villa

Since we began supporting the Care Villa in 2002, we at Clear Path have dreamed of providing prosthetic hands for the amputees we serve there. Many of them have lost one or both arms in a landmine explosion and are wholly dependent on others for their care. Almost every time we visit our Karen friends at the giant sprawling Mae La refugee camp on the Thai-Burma border, we are asked for a device that will allow the men to use their upper limbs.

Dutch Charity "Stichting Mensenkinderen" Awards $140,000 to Clear Path International

Dutch charity "Stichting Mensenkinderen" (www.mensenkinderen.nl) has given a grant for 100,000 Euro ($140,000) to Clear Path International for its humanitarian mine action work in Vietnam and Cambodia.

US State Department Funds Clear Path International Programs in Vietnam & Cambodia

The largest grant of $127,000 will be used to fund efforts that assist survivors of accidents with landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) in central Vietnam. The second grant of $50,000 will be used for CPI's rice mill enterprise for landmine survivors in Battambang, Cambodia, where its beneficiaries receive training, microcredit and crop processing services.

Clear Path International Releases Annual Report

In the period covered by the report, the U.S.-based organization with offices in Vermont and on Bainbridge Island, Washington, assisted 6,325 beneficiaries in Afghanistan, 1,679 in Vietnam, 929 in Cambodia and 538 on both sides of the Thai-Burma border.

Clear Path International Beneficiaries in Vietnam Become Deminers Thanks to Mines Advisory Group

As part of its partnership with Clear Path International, Mines Advisory Group in Vietnam has started to recruit CPI-supported landmine accident survivors or their family members to train them as clearance technicians.

Afghanistan: Better Access to Schools for Disabled Girls and Boys

It’s one thing to be disabled and face the kind of discrimination typical for anyone with a disability here. It’s another to be disabled girl and go to school in one of the most conservative Islamic countries in the world.

The last thing you need is to face physical barriers as well, particularly in a wheelchair.

Clear Path International's Afghanistan Partner Reaches Out And Speaks Up For Survivors

We had reached one of Kabul’s many neighborhoods. Kristen, Peter and Zabi had taken me here to see another one of Clear Path’s implementing partners in Afghanistan, the Afghan Landmine Survivors Organization. Life seemed more normal here than in the fortified and rarified sections of the downtown area with its foreign embassies, company headquarters and NGO offices.

Afghanistan: Better Tools, Better Lives

A steel landmine probe. A deminer’s trowel. A flail hammer. Mine field marking tape. Newly polished safety visors. These tools may not sound familiar to you, but mine clearance professionals use them every day.

Queen Elizabeth Awards Head of Clear Path's Mine Action Partner

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has awarded the Order of the British Empire to Lou McGrath, the executive director of Mines Advisory Group (MAG). MAG and CPI have been partners in Southeast Asia for the past four years.

Clear Path Featured in Journal of Mine Action

The latest edition of the academic periodical Journal of Mine Action published by James Madison University features a cover photo and an in-depth article about the work of Clear Path International in central Vietnam. Co-authored by Ari Perlstein, a medical student at the Oregon Health & Science University, and CPI co-founder Imbert Matthee, the article highlights the persistent problem of UXO (unexploded ordnance) accidents in a region which ranks among the most mine-affected in the world.

Thai Burma Border Landmine Survivor Assistance Program Page Updated

We have updated our Thai-Burma border project page. Check it out here....

YouTube: Myanmar's Landmine Survivors at the Mae Tao Clinic

The military regime's ongoing repression in Burma (Myanmar) kills and maims hundreds of civilians each year through the use of landmines. Planted throughout ethnic territories, landmines are used to quell insurgent rebel armies, but more often kill civilians, especially children

Ministry of Defense in UK raids Landmine Removal Fund to Pay Repair Bills on Fighter Jets

Money set aside to clear landmines and remove arms from conflict zones is to be raided to pay a private defence contractor to keep Tornado jets flying in Iraq, according to a confidential memo seen by the Guardian.

CPI Aid in Thailand and Myanmar Reached Nearly 300 Landmine Survivors in 2007

With our partners, the Mae Tao Clinic, the Karen Handicap Welfare Association, KNPLF (Karenni) and the Shan Health Committee, we expect to provide services to more than 400 survivors at seven locations along the border in 2008. Groot Klimmendaal, Lobke’s employer, has been encouraging its other employees to volunteer in the area. Neeltje Rosmalen, a psychologist and cognitive trainer helped train medics and counselors in psychological treatment of new and existing accident survivors.

Reuters: Landmines threaten Iraqis and hamper development

Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said the mines were spread across about 4,000 minefields left across Iraq after the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq War, the first Gulf War in 1991 and the 2003 U.S.-led invasion to topple Saddam Hussein.

Landmines and UXO kill and maim hundreds in Afghanistan in 2007

Most victims are males aged 1-26, largely from the insurgency-affected southern provinces where the worsening security situation has hampered de-mining activities.

Young & Rubicam Creates Radio Spot to Support Landmine Victims: Tell us what you think!

All of us at Clear Path International are grateful to Young & Rubicam Malaysia for creating a 35 second radio spot for CPI. Please click "read more" to listen it and let us know what you think.

A Certificate of Merit Awarded to Clear Path in Vietnam

I don’t often write about ceremonies. Most of the time they’re just for looks, photo ops, grip and grins. When you have an all-hands-on-deck agenda to get things done, fluff and puff can be kind of a nuisance. But the recent presentation to CPI of the Certificate of Merit from the Provincial People’s Committee of Quang Tri was different to me. It was a real milestone in our seven-year history as a humanitarian mine action organization.

13-year-old Boy Blinded by Burma Army Landmine

From the Free Burma Rangers website: On 19 November, 13-year-old Saw K'Tray Soe detonated a landmine while gathering bamboo soot leaves to make a roof for his family's house. The mine blew up in his face, severely injuring his eyes...

Landmine activist/traceur tries to cross Central London without touching the ground

Check out a video of an anti-landmine activist attempting to cross London without touching the ground!

Good News, Bad News For Mine Clearance In Countries Where Clear Path International Has Assistance Programs

Although increased funding and fewer casualties were reported in 2006, many countries are not on course to meet their Mine Ban Treaty clearance obligations, says a new report from the International Campaign to Ban Landmines.

Running marathons for landmine surivors: Thanks Darcy!

Mr. Darcy Ike is positioned well within the group of amazing folks with whom I have been honored to cross paths. Mr. Ike runs marathons, 34 so far and has chosen to contribute to Clear Path with the completion of the past several and hopefully the next handful in the future.

In Burma, child soldiers bought and sold

Burma is filling the ranks of its depleted armed forces with children as young as 10 and may try to capture even more boys after the recent crackdown on pro-democracy protests, Human Rights Watch said on Tuesday.

YouTube: Thank you, Martha!

This video was shown on the 10th anniversary Celebration of Martha Hathaway's work with landmine and bomb survivors in Vietnam, Cambodia, Afghanistan and the Thai-Burma border.

Senator Leahy Honors Clear Path | Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion Perform to a Sold Out Crowd

10th Anniversary of Public-Private Partnerships at US Dept of State's Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement

Ten years ago an initiative was begun at the US Department of State that would energize the mine action community in a creative and exciting way. In October of 1997 the State Department initiated the Humanitarian Mine Action Public-Priivate Partnership Program. Clear Path has benefitted greatly from the program as have 56 other NGOs.

Congratulations Sally Taylor and Dean Bragonier!

The Clear Path International family just got a little bigger and a little cuter with the birth of Bodhi Taylor Bragonier, born to Clear Path's dear friends Sally Taylor and Dean Bragonier.

AP: Villagers flee Myanmar’s deadly landmines

A Human Rights Watch report in December last year accused the military of planting mines around rice crops and routes to fields in an effort to hamper the annual harvest, effectively starving the people off their land.
It also said that Myanmar’s soldiers had used civilians as human mine sweepers, forcing them to walk in front of troops through landscapes possibly laced with the deadly ordnance.

Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion with Senator Patrick Leahy Benefit Clear Path International!

Sarah Lee Guthrie, the granddaughter of Woody Guthrie and the daughter of Arlo, will be returning to perform in Southern Vermont with her husband, the critically acclaimed Johnny Irion on Saturday, October 13th at Long Trail School in Dorset, VT. Speaking before the event will be long-time Clear Path supporter and landmine advocate, Senator Patrick Leahy.

Esquire: The Devil in the Dirt

There are so many landmines in Afghanistan, the country is literally about to blow. But removing these mines is no easy task.

Rutland Herald: CPI continuing to grow its reputation as a force for humanitarian relief

By PATRICK McARDLE Herald Staff
DORSET - Clear Path International is continuing to grow its reputation as a force for humanitarian relief with new developments this year in Afghanistan and Slovenia.

Iraq: Which minefield should we clear next?

I could go on and speak to the villagers to ask about the benefits of the mine clearance but I didn't need to. Sitting right in front of me were five - very cute - reasons to clear this minefield. I didn't need to speak to their parents to know that they didn't want their children growing up alongside the Valmaras - or any other mines for that matter.

Shell explosion kills 3 family members in Vietnam

The explosion occurred at the victims' house in Duy Xuyen District on Tuesday afternoon when the 31-year-old man named Pham Van Thang was trying to break the shell for scraps. His wife, standing nearby, and the child held in her arms were killed on the spot.

Howstuffworks.com: How Landmines Work

So many people come to our site to learn how to clear landmines, that it seems many of you may be interested in how landmines work. Click the read more button for an excerpt from a great article by Kevin Bonsor for howstuffworks.com.

O & P Edge: CPI Clearing the Way for a Safer Future

The bulk of (Clear Path International's) work is deadly serious. With programs in Vietnam, Cambodia, along the Thai-Burma border, and now Afghanistan, the realities of war—even wars that ended more than 30 years ago—could not be any more dramatic. Dealing with the everyday horror can be overwhelming, but Matthee recalls a moment that makes even the most trying days seem worthwhile.

Landmine explosion in Vietnam kills 3 children

The children collected the landmine while tending their buffaloes and tried to smash it open when it exploded.

Clear Path International, International Trust Deal offers new hope for landmine, bomb survivors in Vietnam

The agreement's first proposal commits ITF to raise $230,000 from among its 27 government and private-sector donors to match the funds Clear Path is raising from the US State Department and US-based private-sector

Man Learns to Walk Again After Losing Limbs to Decades-old Bomb in Vietnam

The accident occured at about 11:00 a.m when Thi was digging up a tree stump. In close distance, Vinh was bending down, pulling fallen branches away. A loud explosion woke up the quiet forest as Thi’s pick hit the ground. The ordnance was subsurface and thus, nobody knew what it was; but the powerful blast knocked two men down on the ground.

Elephants "Learn" to Avoid Land Mines in War-Torn Angola

"Maybe they are able to smell the mines," Whyte said. "They move about with their trunks right on the ground, and it could be that they pick up the scent in this way.

"But they are also intelligent animals which move in groups. Maybe they learn to avoid places where they see other elephants get blown up."

Clear Path Burma Site: Landmine death toll rises in Karen state

Saw Eh Thamwe, the coordinator of the clinic’s mine victim department, said that the clinic had treated 16 people injured by landmines in June alone and that increased tensions between the Karen National Union and the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army were to blame.

“This year has the highest number of land-mine cases due to intensified fighting. in previous years, there were as few as ten landmine cases a year but in the first six months of this year we had 30 cases,” Saw Eh Thamwe said.

China clearing landmines on Sino-Vietnamese Border

His heart pounded as rivulets of sweat trickled down his face in the semi-desert heat. Wei Lianhai's hands, moist with perspiration, snipped the wire of a landmine laid in the Friendship Pass area, on the border between China and Vietnam.

Reuters: Decade after Diana campaign, few use landmines

Ten years after the death of Princess Diana and the first global treaty against antipersonnel landmines, experts say only a handful of rebel groups and perhaps one state dare use what has become a pariah weapon

Jody Riggs: Burma’s situation is real!

This is not history! That is what continues to ring in my head. My name is Jody Riggs and I am a student prosthetist from Canada. The atrocities that I am reading about and the repercussions that I am witnessing are current events, happening just over those hills and across the Moei or the Salween river in Burma.

In Another World, You Are An Illegal Refugee With Nothing To Your Name

The Mae Toa Clinic on the Thai-Burma border is founded and run by refugees. The prosthetics department manager is an astounding and committed man. He does not make money and will never be able to buy his family a truck, or a home, or a vacation. His workshop lacks government funding and only survives by donation and outside funds.

Rice Mill Project Fires Up in Rural Cambodia!

Its not often that I actually get giddy by someone firing up a big 'ol diesel powered generator, but that's the emotion I settled upon as the most appropriate description, when they cranked up the rice mill the first time for me. Its not often, come to think of it, that I would even recognize a diesel powered generator or any of the multitude of tools and metal appliances which go into making a rice mill. And, yet, throughout the last few months, I've become more familiar with all things rice related than I ever thought possible.

Clear Path International to Assist Afghan Landmine Survivors As Part of U.S. Department of State Contract

KABUL, Afghanistan – Clear Path International (CPI), a U.S.-based humanitarian mine action nonprofit organization, has received a multi-year contract from DynCorp International to start a landmine survivor assistance program in Afghanistan on behalf of the U.S. Department of State.

U.S. reverses position and is now willing to negotiate a cluster bomb treaty

U.S. officials said they are willing to start negotiating a treaty on the use of cluster bombs, reversing their previous position that no new agreement on the weapon was necessary. But the United States still rejects a proposed global ban on the weapon, which 46 countries began negotiating in Oslo in February. Instead, Washington wants to negotiate another treaty, which goes less far, within the framework of the 1980 United Nations Convention on Conventional Weapons.

Clear Path International Issues Micro Loans in Rural Cambodia

Last Friday, Clear Path International and our Cambodian partner, Cambodian Volunteers for Community Development, issued micro loans, for the second time, to our farmer cooperative members, many of them landmine / UXO survivors, all of them desperately impoverished rice farmers.

United States Campaign to Ban Landmines Expands Its Mandate to Include Cluster Munitions Advocacy

From the USCBL: We are pleased to inform you that the Steering Committee of the US Campaign to Ban Landmines recently agreed to expand the mission of the coalition to include advocacy toward a prohibition on the use, production, and transfer of cluster munitions that cause unacceptable harm to civilians.

Traveling to the Clear Path International Vocational Skills Training Site for Landmine Survivors in Battambang Cambodia

I don't know that I will ever get tired of staring at the distinct shade of green specific to a crop of rice. If I worked for Crayola, I would make a crayon and call it "rice". It would be the best green ever.

Duane Nelson on the Thai Burma Border

The war, if you want to call it that, is deep-rooted, its got history, and it involves entire people groups and nations. How can I change anything?

Dutch Rehab Hospital Signs Agreement To Support Landmine Survivors on the Thai-Burma Border

Under a two-year agreement, the Dutch hospital will provide $30,000 in funding and facilitate the involvement of its professional rehabilitation specialists as volunteers in eastern Thailand where CPI has an active program fabricating prosthetics, offering physical therapy and providing full-time care for landmine accident survivors from Burma.

War Era Bombs Injure 2 Year Old and 72 Year Old In Vietnam

Accidents involving unexploded ordnance injured civilians ranging in age from 2 to 72 this last week in central Vietnam's former DMZ.

Vietnam sits atop 600,000 Tons of Landmines and Bombs

According to Vietnam's Bomb and Mine Disposal Technology Centre (BOMICEN) at the Engineering Command, 600,000 tons of war-time bombs and explosives currently lie under the ground throughout Vietnam.

Young Man Loses Hand to Vietnam War Era Bomb

18-year-old Tran Van Khoa was injured by an explosive remnant of the US-Vietnam war at 8h a.m on March 26th 2007 in Trieu Ai commune, Trieu Phong district of Quang Tri province.

History Channel Video: How do you clear a minefield?

The History Channel looks at the deadly power of landmines and how the US military goes about clearing minefields in warfare.

YouTube: The Future of Landmines? I don't think so

Just found this video on YouTube tonight about a weapons system that the narrator claims could replace the landmine in future warfare. Doubtful...

Flickr: Children of War Photo Pool

From war zones all over the world, the images show children acting like children (or trying to) while the adults around them act like monsters.

Well Known and Controversial Citizen Deminer, Aki Ra, Retires... or not

He says that he will soon move his Cambodia Landmine Museum on the river near Angkor Wat to a new facility near Banteay Srei temple where he and his wife Hourt will start a new quieter life.

Video: Elephant Landmine Survivors on the Thai-Burma Border

Not all landmine survivors are human. Many elephants,including baby elephants, are injured by mines while working in the jungles on the tense Thai-Burma border.

Britain to ban some cluster bombs

THE British Defence Secretary, Des Browne, has banned Britain's armed forces from using "dumb" cluster bombs, which have killed and maimed thousands of civilians.

Clear Path Newsletter Available in PDF

The 2007 Winter/Spring CPI Newsletter is now available online. Read about our recent matching campaign with the US Dept of State, how we introduced a hippopotamus to Cambodia, and updates from Chi and Lobke, two of our representatives on the ground in Southeast Asia!

YouTube: Lost Arms to Grenade in Vietnam, Now He Swims and Rides his Bicycle

Mr. Lang was working with his parents in a potato field in 1976 when he saw a bright yellow device (M79 grenade). He picked it up and the device detonated in his hand. He lost two arms just below elbow.

Lobke's Story: It All Began Last Year

When I encountered many amputees (mostly landmine or UXO victims) in Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, the picture couldn’t be much clearer. I wanted to work with landmine accident survivors. That was what I wanted to do. And that was exactly what I was going to do.

Seattle Post Intelligencer: Cluster bombs leave a lethal legacy

Given their high failure rates and controversial deployment, there is a growing movement afoot to restrict the use of cluster bombs. It's time to end the kind of post-conflict suffering I see every time I travel to Southeast Asia for Clear Path International.

Reuters: Hidden Bombs Stalk Vietnamese as States Seek Treaty

"It is sinful that the war has an impact after all these years, that the bombs and the landmines are still there," the boy's distraught father, Pham Van Cuoi, said in the family's small concrete dwelling.

Bombs Injure Three Boys, Kill One Over Tet Holidays in Central Vietnam

Both Son and Cong knew what cluster bombs were since they had seen many before. However, this was the first time they found one half of a bomb: a hemisphere, not a complete steel sphere. They could see the yellow TNT exposed and a round metal section at the center of the explosive.

BBC Series: Saving Lives on the Burmese border

A building at the back of the clinic houses a (Clear Path International funded) workshop for Maw Keh and his team, who construct prosthetic limbs for the many landmine victims in the region - a legacy of the long conflict between government and rebel soldiers.

Iraqi Shepherds Harvest Landmines and Bombs to Fuel Insurgency

Iraqi shepherds are increasingly venturing into these deadly fields to dig up mines planted during the Iran-Iraq war two decades ago, according to U.S. soldiers, who say insurgents then use the mines to fashion roadside bombs that kill American troops.

YouTube: Improvised Explosive Devices of the Vietnam War

A fascinating video on how unexploded US ordnance was used in Vietnam by North Vietnamese forces. Considering how much ordnance is STILL on the ground to this day, there must have been no shortage of the stuff.

Rick Gunn Visits, and Photographs, Clear Path in Vietnam

"Vinh was planting trees on his land," his doctor explained. "That's when he swung his pick into an unexploded bomb."...I cringed..."It might take a while," the doctor concluded, "but Vinh will learn to walk again."

Claymore Camera makes a dumb mine much smarter

From Gizmag.com: "This innovative and inexpensive product is a great tool to avoid the loss of innocent lives by mistake, solving the problem of not knowing what the mine is detonated against, but, above all, it turns regular dumb mines into intelligent mines which represents a revolutionary progress in minefield technology."

2005 - 2006 Landmine/UXO Victims in Central Vietnam

Chi of the Vietnam office compiled the last two years of UXO accident rates in central Vietnam and has posted his findings here. From 2005 to 2006, Clear Path Vietnam responded to 209 UXO accidents.

Clear Path YouTube Video Reaches 10000 Views

We produced this 7 minute video a few years ago with NPR's Corey Flintoff as narrator and the Grateful Dead's Mickey Hart donating the music.

CNN and YouTube: Cambodia's poor scavenge for mines

This story is not news to anyone who reads this blog, or folks who have seen Skye FItzgerald's film BOMBHUNTERS. CNN is reporting on unexploded ordnance scavengers in recognition of LANDMINE AWARENESS DAY in Cambodia.

Remnants of War: Sara Smits in Syracuse University Magazine

"I’m fueled by the memories and knowing there are people who are struggling with the issues surrounding landmines.” She finds purpose in her research and does speaking engagements to raise funds for Clear Path. “They do amazing work,” Smits says. “I want to somehow give back to the people who gave me so much information and so much inspiration.”

Pollution: Landmines Are a Global Health Problem

Pollution. Consider for a moment what the word means. If it's defined as "the presence in the environment of any substance of sufficient concentration to be harmful to humans or cause long-term damage to the natural environment," landmines fit the bill.

Thai Burma Border: The Circle of Inspiration

The idea was there: we cannot give these guys back their hands, their eyes, their lives the way it used to be. But we can encourage them to bring back a little joy, a bit of fun, some challenges and to make one day a bit different than the other.

Thai - Burma Border: At 21 Years Old, Another Life Shattered

Sometimes you can hear the shootings, explosions, panic, but today it is very quiet....Then we receive a phone call. One of the girls that we dropped yesterday for the mine risk education mission has stepped on a landmine. I remember her face; she was sitting next to me in the truck.

For What It's Worth: Landmines Video from YouTube

In one of my routine searches on YouTube for landmine related videos I found this short piece that is nicely done...

Fund Reviewing Investments in Companies that Manufacture Cluster Bombs

The fund has already divested in companies involved with landmines and whaling, due to New Zealand's stance against those issues. The fund follows the United Nations principles for responsible investment.

Washington & Oregon Students Learn About Landmines

“It seems that most efforts are concerned with removing landmines and preventing future injuries, but your work seems unique in not abandoning the victims whose lives have already been changed. I am extremely motivated to start fundraising for this organization.”

Welcome to Phnom Penh - I blame Imbert for this!

I’ve been a huge fan of CPI since I was introduced to them a few years earlier, always admiring the work they do. Still, I am not unconvinced that Imbert hasn’t cast some magical spell on me as well.

Lobke is Home Again on the Myanmar Border

A quick coffee, breakfast and once more I questioned myself how life can be so good here for me, while the people I share the streets with face problems we can hardly imagine

Clear Path Welcomes the New Year with a New Team

This great new group of people adds to the current team -- equally impressive -- that includes the founders, our other existing board members, Francesca Thompson, Nancy Norton and Lori Trieu, our five fulltime employees in Vietnam -- Tran Thi Thanh Toan, Tran Duc, Le Thi Yen Nhi, Trang Hong Chi & Phang Thi Ai Phuong and our partner organizations in Cambodia and along the Thai-Burma border.

Five Years & 150 Students Later: Life After Our Center in Kampong Cham

Eighty-seven of the 120 who graduated are now successful small-business entrepreneurs, 20 have found employment with local companies while 13 work for one of Cambodia’s many non-governmental organizations.

Landmine Hopscotch in Malaysia

Our new friends at TBWA-ISC\Malaysia in Malaysia contacted us sometime ago and asked to donate an ambient ad campaign in our benefit to be run in Kuala Lampur.

Radio Show Highlights Plight of Burmese Refugees

The show is called "Kawthoolei," an audio odyssey into the troubled border region between Thailand and Burma. It's part of the "Outer Voices" project documenting the critical work of women in six places around the world.

War Torn El Salvador On the Mend

There are reminders of El Salvador’s recent instability. Every office, store, hotel, restaurant and bank in San Miguel has armed guards with pump-action shotguns, revolvers or Uzis.

ICBL: Burma / Myanmar Peace talks should include landmine issue

"An acknowledgment of the urgency of this issue within any cessation of hostilities would build confidence and would show a real commitment toward a lasting peace,"

Five Children Injured in Cambodia Land Mine Blast

"They found the two mines in a black plastic bag behind their village and thought that it was make-up powder boxes. They hit them with a stick in order to take off the shells and sell them to waste-pickers. They then exploded,"

Anti-tank mine kills 7 Cambodian de-miners

At least one anti-tank mine in a former Khmer Rouge stronghold in northwest Cambodia blew up on Friday, killing seven de-miners, three of whom were women. Initial investigations suggested a mine-clearing team near the town of Battambang came upon two anti-tank mines placed on top of each other. The mines detonated before they could be defused or blown up safely.

Listening Post: How would YOU improve Clear Path?

How would readers of this blog (all three of you) improve upon how we are communicating the mission of Clear Path? What do you reccomend we do to advance our work?

Canada to invest in Afghanistan`s minefield clearance and community-led development

Canada will provide $8.8 million dollars for demining activities in Kandahar Province and across Afghanistan as well as $1.9 million dollars to promote community-led development in Kandahar Province

Cindy McCain in Cambodia and How I Accidentally met John McCain

Sometime in the first quarter of 2001, I was late for my flight out of Washington, DC to New Orleans. Being the last one to board, I was assigned the only remaining seat on the plane in the Economy Plus section. As I boarded the plane, I immediately recognized the man in the aisle seat next to my assigned middle seat was Senator John McCain.

Landmines and disability: a challenge faced together

Landmines are among the most dangerous weapons in armed conflict – easy and cheap to plant, but extremely difficult and costly to remove. If not cleared, mines and explosive remnants of war (ERWs) continue to kill or mutilate long after the conflict has ended. They can last for decades, maiming and killing and disrupting the social and economic life of affected communities.

CPI Vietnam Responds to Its First Accident of 2007

Just as I entered the office this morning Duc, our logistic officer, announced that he received a phone call last night reporting of a new accident happened earlier in the day (January 8th). One person was killed on spot and another 12 year old boy was seriously injured

AFGHANISTAN: UN rejects landmines along border

“We regret the decision of the government of Pakistan to proceed with the laying of landmines and we call upon both governments to strengthen their commitment to cooperative solutions to the security problems that this region faces,” Chris Alexander, Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Afghanistan, said on Monday in the capital, Kabul.

Vietnam receives mine-clearing gear from United States

HA NOI — The United States yesterday donated nearly US$1 million worth of equipment to locate and clear landmines and unexploded ordnance to the Centre for Bomb and Mine Disposal Technology (BOMICEN). The equipment will reinforce the centre’s capacity to deal with explosive hazards that have remained after thirty years of conflict.

A Judy Collins Christmas in Vermont ... how sweet it was

Some stars shine brighter than other stars, and Judy Collins' star was shining brightly, brilliantly, as she shared her light with all those lucky enough to be in the sold out audience Sunday at the Judy Collins Christmas Benefit for Clear Path International at the Dorset Playhouse.

Burma: Landmines Kill, Maim and Starve Civilians

"In order to separate ethnic armed groups from their civilian population, the Burmese army lays landmines and other explosive devices in order to maim and kill civilians," said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "This is a concerted policy aimed at denying people their livelihoods and food or forcing them to risk losing limbs or lives."

Bombs kill one boy, injure another in Central Vietnam

Central Vietnam- Explosive remnants of the Vietnam War have claimed their latest victims in Central Vietnam killing a 14 year old boy and injuring an 18 year old in two incidents over the past week.

Free Burma Rangers Report Landmine Use by Myanmar Army

"In this area over 5000 people have been displaced, most are in hiding and suffer from shortage of food and medicine. The Burma Army continues it patrols and laying of landmines."

Rutland Herald: Small Vermont organization having big international impact

James Lawrence, director of partnership programs for the State Department's Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement, said government officials have begun to seek out partners in the private sector who can assist people whose lives have been altered by land mines. "Clear Path has good local support, low overhead, they provide direct support to the people who need it. That's just the kind of things we look for," he said.

Manchester Journal: Judy Collins to Benefit Clear Path International

The concert will benefit Clear Path International, an organization born out of wanting to make the world a better place. They reach their philanthropic help, loving arms and compassionate energy all the way to Vietnam, Cambodia, the Thai-Burma border and most recently to Afghanistan serving the victims, survivors and the families of landmine and unexploded bomb accidents.

Little Hope for Burmese Refugees in Thailand

Aid agencies maintain that Burmese troops have destroyed nearly 3,000 villages in the last ten years. They say an unmanageable health crisis is now developing in the refugee camps in Thailand that line the frontier.
"In displaced areas, one in five children will die before their fifth birthday," says Nobel peace laureate Dr. Cynthia Maung, who runs a medical camp on the turbulent Thai-Burma border.

BBC: New bomb clean-up treaty begins

A new international law is coming into force requiring countries to clear up unexploded bombs and mines or pay teams of de-miners to do it. The treaty on explosive remnants of war covers ordnance such as land mines and cluster bombs.

Success for MAG's all-female demining team

Success for MAG's all-female demining team: via http://www.mag.org.uk/page.php?s=2&p=5994 In recognition of their outstanding efforts to save lives, MAG's Cambodian all-female demining team was awarded the Niarchos Prize for Survivorship at a special award luncheon held on 1st November in...

Judy Collins to Perform War Victim Benefit Concert in Vermont

Dorset, Vermont- The legendary Judy Collins is set to perform a benefit concert in Dorset, Vermont on December 17th at the Dorset Playhouse to aid civilian victims of war in Vietnam, Cambodia and along the Thailand - Myanmar border.

Release: Eastern Burma is now one of the world’s worst health disasters

The Burmese military junta is the source of the problem, not only through its abuses and neglect of the welfare of the people, but also through increasing restrictions on humanitarian aid efforts, particularly to ethnic minorities living in rural Burma.

Demining in Cambodia at risk as funding dries up

Cambodia is among more than a dozen countries which will likely fail to meet their mine clearance targets as donor money dries up.The government's demining agency, the Cambodian Mine Action Center (CMAC), has lost a fifth of its funding this year.

AP: Nations to form land-mine removal center

MANAGUA, Nicaragua - Defense ministers from across the Americas agreed Wednesday to create an international land-mine removal center and many called for joint military missions for disaster relief and peacekeeping worldwide.

Landmine Frisbee Campaign in Singapore Raises Awareness of Clear Path International

To help raise awareness of the landmine crisis worldwide, and the work of Clear Path International, Rapp Collins of Singapore created frisbees that look like landmines and are tossing them around the city.

Mines to Vines Founder Blogs from Afghanistan

"As he courageously greets his Afghan 'friends' each day, he constantly reminds them that they are not landmine victims, but rather landmine survivors! His medicine is effective in healing the human spirit, as the Afghan smiles greet him as he energetically glides around the facility exuding his Italian charisma."

Muppets teach children a land mine lesson

In Afghanistan the creators of Muppet stars Miss Piggy and Fozzy Bear have teamed up with two charities to teach children a lesson in survival: how not to get killed or maimed by the millions of land mines still buried in the Afghan soil.

Thailand - Myanmar Border: Every dead end street has a side street leading somewhere

Lobke blogs from the Care Villa on the Thailand - Myanmar border: Clear Path doesn’t turn its back on (what seems to be) a dead end street. We cannot fix eyes, hands or legs. We cannot turn back time or solve the issues in Burma. But we can look for possibilities, a side street, a change of direction; just small things that can make a big difference.

Microsoft Turns Landmines into Flowers

Looks like the landmine movement will soon reach the desktop. Microsoft is changing the game MINESWEEPER to placate those who thought the game was insensitive to landmine plagued communities worldwide. With the Vista release you will be able to, at least virtually, turn landmines into flowers...

A Slideshow from the Thailand - Myanmar Border

A slideshow of recent images from Clear Path funded clinics along the Thailand - Myanmar border.

Vietnam: Explosive Remnants of War Incident Report from January 2006 to September 2006

Over the last year Clear Path International's Vietnam staff has been working to create a database for reporting on accidents involving explosive remnants of war that are reported to us and to which we have responded to give assistance. These reports are only the incidents to which we (CPI) have responded and are not representative of the country as a whole. In this blog we post our first report.

UN SECURITY COUNCIL ADDRESSES BURMA: The Never-Ending Myanmar Nightmare

For well over a decade, the military junta in Myanmar has been trying to bring the Karen ethnic minority under its thumb. This year, the offensive has intensified -- magnifying the ongoing refugee disaster in Southeast Asia. The UN, finally, has decided to pay more attention.

Nobelity: Purchase this critically acclaimed film and help Clear Path

Filmed across the U.S., France, England, India & Kenya, Nobelity is a stunning look at the world's most pressing problems through the eyes of nine Nobel Laureates, including Wangari Maathai, Richard E. Smalley, and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

Three Men Dead: Wartime ordnance continues to kill in Vietnam

Three men were killed in Vietnam’s southern Dong Nai province Thursday while sawing an unexploded US artillery shell left from the Vietnam War 30 years ago. Two of the middle-aged victims, Nguyen Van Hanh and Nguyen Van Nam, who were killed by the 105mm shell, earned their livelihoods by searching for and selling American wartime ordnance, according to a source.

'After the War…the Killing Continues' Photo Exhibit on Bainbridge Island, WA

Photojournalist Erin Fredrichs accompanied a small group from Clear Path International on a three-week tour of its landmine survivor assistance programs in Southeast Asia last year. The compelling and deeply moving photographs Fredrichs took are now on display at Grace Episcopal Church on Bainbridge Island, Washington (near Seattle) through mid October. The pictures are a selection from Fredrich’s Master’s thesis project, “After the War…the Killing Continues,” towards her degree at Ohio University.

Israeli Cluster Bombs Litter South Lebanon Endangering Children

Hussein had just been reprimanded by his father. The reason for the chastisement was that Hussein had been outside playing in a field behind his house picking up “toys”. The bucket shown below is his proud collection of U.S. M-42 cluster bomblets. Some boys think the M-42’s are “lighters” or “batteries”. Some girls told this observer that they look like “perfume bottles”

Raising Landmine Awareness with Ketchup?

Ketchup packets don’t seem like the most controversial ad medium. But in New Zealand, there’s some grousing over this PSA campaign to raise awareness of landmines. To open the packet, you have to rip the boy’s foot off—and then, of course, the red liquid oozes out. “Well it is graphic, it is shocking, but so too is the reality—15,000-20,000 [people] having that sort of thing happening to them as a result of landmines,”

Love Among the Landmines: an epiphany

At NowPublic, we talk a lot about the power of social networks. We marvel at the success of YouTube, the weird goings-ons at MySpace, and the recent turmoil at Facebook. It's all exciting, entertaining, and important. We're proud to be part of how the web is changing the world. But this early morning introduction to Clear Path produced an early morning epiphany for me - and as we all know, in the dark of the night these insights come with extraordinary force.

Anti-weapons Group Says Myanmar Most Active Government in World in Using Land Mines

Myanmar's military regime makes more extensive use of land mines than any other government in the world, a group that lobbies against the weapons said Wednesday. In a global survey published annually, the International Campaign to Ban Landmines said that only three governments in the world use land mines: Nepal, Russia and Myanmar.... at least 231 people were killed or injured by land mines in Myanmar in 2005, it said.

Nepal: Landmines kill nearly 1,300

KATHMANDU (Reuters) - At least 1,290 people have been killed by landmines planted by government troops and Maoist rebels during Nepal's decade-old conflict, a leading anti-mine group said on Monday. The victims, including nearly 200 women and children, are among...

Vietnam: Four Year Old Girl and Father Killed, Others Injured by War Era Ordnance

Another heartbreaking report from our staff in central Vietnam 1. (Ho Vien Khan, born in 1948 and Ho Thi Thia, born in 2002) An accident happened to a man and his daughter on August 5th 2006 in Hong Trung commune,...

Clear Path assists UXO affected children with scholarships

On the occasion of the new school year 2006-2007, Clear Path International and its local partner, the Section of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs (SoLISA) of Vinh Linh district organize a scholarship granting ceremony at the district people’s committee office.

Pictures of Home Office in Vermont: Welcome home, Kristen!

I think that most people are pretty surprised when they learn that Clear Path International is based in Vermont... most ask why we are not in DC or New York. One of the reasons is a really big reason... COST.

Vietnam: Three Children Killed, Five Injured in Two Accidents with War Era Bombs

The accident happened at 5 p.m., in the front yard of Mrs. Vo Thi Ha’s, a local scrap dealer in Cam Nghia commune, Cam Lo district.

Cambodian resurrection: Land-mine victims forge a new pride in an unforgiving atmosphere

From Straight.com of Vancouver, British Columbia Cambodian resurrection: Land-mine victims forge a new pride in an unforgiving atmosphere By roberta staley Publish Date: 7-Sep-2006 San Suo hops down the rough wood ladder leading from the doorway of his one-room house,...

New Department of State - Newsweek Wall Map Charts Global Landmine Problem

The Newsweek Education Program has published the Second Edition of their popular wall map, "Landmines: Eliminating the Threat." Limited copies of this edition are available at no cost from the Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, which commissioned it.

CLEAR PATH SPONSORS LANDMINE SURVIVORS TO ATTEND SPORT EVENTS

Started on September 3rd, 2006, 40 qualified people with disabilities (PWD) athletes entered their 28 days intensive training period in Dong Ha town. After the training, a short list of 30 athletes will be finalized for National round of qualification which will be held in Ho Chi Minh City in late September. Then the chance of being a member of the National team is open for everyone, who would have the best scores, to compete at the Asian Sport Event for PWD called FESPIC games 15 in Malaysia late this year.

'Where to Begin?': Stretching and Learning at the Mae Sot Refugee Clinic on the Border of Thailand and Myanmar

“Where to begin?” That was the main question I struggled with, when I first started to volunteer at The Mae Tao Clinic in Mae Sot. There was no such thing as physical therapy, let alone some form of rehabilitation treatment. In fact, no one really seemed to have ever heard of it.

Thailand: Care Villa at the Mae La Refugee Camp

Of all the projects we visit and the people we see, my personal highlight of our yearly trip to Southeast Asia is the Care Villa at the Mae La refugee camp in Thailand. Here at this sprawling "city" of huts...

My Own Two Hands: Clear Path Volunteer Writes from the Mae Sot Refugee Clinic on Thailand - Myanmar Border

...It reflects my idea about the work of CPI. People who know that the world can only be improved by using your own two hands. I see, with my own eyes, that we can make a difference. That I can make a difference. By using my own two hands.

YouTube: Princess Diana in Angola Raising Landmine Awareness

Whenever I tell people about Clear Path International's work with landmine and bomb accident survivors, invariably Princess Diana's name comes up and they ask me if I ever met her! No... sadly, the princess died about 6 months after my...

US Munitions Still Deadly in Vietnam

On Aug. 13, in the Hoai An district of the central province of Binh Dinh, four 13- to 15-year-old boys died after they found a U.S.-made M79 rifle grenade and broke it open to get the gunpowder. The grenade exploded,...

Four Children Killed by Explosive In Vietnam

Last week, on August 13th, while looking after their families' cows, four children (ages 12, 13 and two at 15 years old) living in Hoai An district of Binh Dinh province, Vietnam picked up an explosive left over from the...

Clear Path International's First Study Trip to Laos

Ever since James, Martha, Kristen and I started Clear Path International nearly six years ago, I have wanted to go to Laos. Now I finally had a chance to do so, as we sandwiched three days in between our project...

Phuong: Bomb Survivor - Track Star

I recognized her as soon as i saw her. At the first instant, i was slightly confused because i thought that we were visiting a different Clear Path beneficiary. My mind had decided that we were going to visit a...

Soldier Killed by Soviet-Era Landmine in Afghanistan

Landmines and unexploded bombs remain active for decades after wars end. The story below is a sad reminder of the potency of the explosive remnants of war: Afghanistan: Soldier killed in mine blast KABUL, Afghanistan, Aug. 17 (UPI) -- A...

Visiting with Survivors, Kids First Village, and the Cam Lo Blind Association

Our initial beneficiary contact yesterday came with arriving at the Clear Path offices first thing in the morning. Ok, actually our first activity was having banh mi om let pho ma ~ Vina for scrambled eggs with cheese on...

Rats Detecting Mines in Mozambique (video from the BBC)

Experts in Mozambique have trained rats to detect landmines to help save human lives. The new mine detecting team hope to clear the country of landmines by 2009. Adam Mynott reports from Mozambique....

One Swift, Powerful Kick Through the Uprights

We are savoring the rainy interlude here in Hue that allows for a bit of catch up on email, journaling, and musing. Yesterday, we travelled from Da Nang to Hue via a detour to the old city of Hoi An....

Mines Advisory Group Makes Emergency Appeal for Lebanon

Please note the following emergency appeal for assistance from Mines Advisory Group for their live saving work in Lebanon EMERGENCY APPEAL – LEBANON Of the estimated 4,000 bombs dropped daily during the current conflict, around 10 per cent of them...

US Department of State to MATCH Donations To Clear Path!

The U.S. State Department has announced it will match up to $60,000 in contributions made by any grassroots and private-sector donors to Clear Path International’s landmine accident survivor assistance work in central Vietnam. The matching period will last at least...

Senators Seek to Block First U.S. Landmine Production in 9 Years

(Washington, DC, August 1, 2006) The U.S. Campaign to Ban Landmines, a coalition of 500 U.S.- based religious, community, and human rights organizations, today welcomed the introduction of the Victim-activated Landmine Abolition Act of 2006. This important legislation, introduced...

Martha, Executive Director of CPI on Vermont Public Radio

Vermont Public Radio interviewed our executive Director, Martha Hathaway, on her upcoming trip to Afghanistan and the work of Clear Path International in Asia. You can hear the interview here. The text of the article is below (source VERMONT PUBLIC...

Looking for Land Mines Photo Gallery

The link below leads to photo gallery highlighting different landmine (land mine) detection methods. http://news.com.com/2300-11395_3-6092294-1.html?tag=ne.gall.pg...

Burmese Band-Aid: Kevin Sites in the Hot Zone

MAE SOT, Thailand - In the middle of a thatch building a ten-year-old boy waves a fan over the motionless, naked body of his two-year-old sister lying on a woven mat. She is sick with malaria, like so many others...

Yakima Herald: Help the World, Bit by Byte

A Washington state-based organization, World Neighborhood Fund has found a creative way to help Clear Path International. A big thanks from Clear Path to Mikelle Charlebois and Troy Haines! From the Yakima Herald: A click saves the world. It's a...

Family Catastrophe: Three Children Killed, Three Wounded

On May 30th, 2006, a terrible UXO related accident happened in central highland of Vietnam. Six children from 2 to 11 years old were killed and injured by a cluster bomb explosion. The accident happened in Kong Chro district, Gia...

Every Year 25000 People Are Maimed or Killed by Landmines...

Six Tourists and Guide Killed by Landmine in Sri Lanka

Top Businessman and award winning writer among the dead....

Our Friends at Polus and the US Department of State Brew Up a Great Idea

I am thrilled today to read that our friends at The Polus Center, in partnership with the US Department of State have made good on their plans to develop the Coffeelands Landmine Survivors' Trust. From their website: "The Coffeelands...

A Song From Vietnam: Video on YouTube

A couple years ago a gourp of friends and I were travelling to a meeting in Vietnam after a long day of visiting with Clear Path beneficiaries. One of the women in the van started singing a beautiful song I...

Ten Years Later, The U.S. Is No Closer to Mine Ban

Source: US Campaign to Ban Landmines May 16, 2006 On May 16, 1996, President Clinton committed the United States to "aggressively pursue an international agreement to ban the use, stockpiling, production, and transfer of anti-personnel landmines." Many people concerned with...

Mines Take the Lives of Indigenous Father and Daughter in Colombia

I ran across this today... it gives context to the importance of my previous post on the US Gov. work in Colombia . Source: http://www.sharedresponsibility.gov.co/index.php?idcategoria=532 Mines Take the Lives of Indigenous Father and Daughter in Colombia Two Colombian Kogi indians,...

Burmese Army Uses Landmines to Prevent Karen Civilians from Fleeing Conflict

The article below from the Human Rights Watch is not news to us... we have seen the impact of landmines being used by the Burmese government which is why we fund work with landmine suvivors in several clinics along...

LA Chronicle: Landmines Remain a Threat

by Kamala Sarup Los Angeles Chronicle May 5, 2006 The landmine crisis is one of the most urgent and critical crises facing South Asia today. Landmines continue to jeopardise the security of the people in the region because it...

United States Helping To Coordinate Mine-Clearing in Colombia

I just received this release from our friend John Stevens at the US Department of State. United States Helping To Coordinate Mine-Clearing in Colombia By Eric Green Washington File Staff Writer Washington -- Officials from the U.S. government, including the...

THREE YEARS OLD BOY INJURED IN A UXO ACCIDENT IN QUANG TRI, VIET NAM

When I first received the brief information over the phone about the accident, I couldn’t imagine how a three years old boy could involve in a UXO accident. For he is too small to cause anything that lead to a...

Clear Path Advisor on the Thai-Burma Border

Clear Path Advisor, Dr. Tao Sheng Kwan-Gett, is visiting one of the Clear Path funded clinics on the Thai-Burma border. He has sent in this report. After enduring a near-record number of consecutive days of rain in Seattle, we were...

Clear Path's Humanitarian Work Recognized

On January 23, 2006, leaders of the Quang Binh Committee for Population, Family and Children (CPFC) paid a visit to Clear Path's Vietname Office in Dong Ha town, Quang Tri province. Mr. Le Thanh Tan, CPFC chairman, was authorized to...

14-Year-Old Boy Lost Hand in War-Era Munition Accident

It was Sunday, January 8, 2006, a day off school and Nguyen The Thang was busy in the backyard moving some bonsai trees to plant in the front entrance. Tet, the Vietnamese traditional Newyear festival is coming in two weeks,...

Thanks, Jim! Subscription Donations are Catching On

Our latest donation (from our good friend Jim in the Netherlands) is a monthly contribution of 10 dollars a month automatically charged to his credit card. These monthly donations are EASY to make and are a great way to help...

One Dead, One Injured in Vietnam from War-Era Bombs

I hope later Chi will post more on these incidents (Chi, if you read this before we reach other, please do), but for now here is an email to me from Toan "Skinny" in Central Vietnam: Hi James, I am...

Clear Path's Outreach Worker - Medal Winner in PARAGAMES

Returning home from the 3rd regional PARAGAMES in Philippine, Le Thi Hoai Phuong, an UXO Survivor/a CPI’s Outreach Worker/a Class F44 Female Athlete had brought home 4 Gold medals and a Silver one, bringing her medal collection up to 24...

Great News from Vietnam

Chi posted yesterday a video of our 14 year old friend Nghia walking. I first wrote about Nghia on this blog in March of 2005. He was injured by a bomb left over from the US-Vietnam War while I was...

Father of Five Killed in Vietnam

This just in from our office in Quang Tri Province, Vietnam: (Truong Quoc Dung-aged 40) A horrible accident happened to a 40-year-old man in Gio Linh district of Quang Tri province at 16h on Dec 27th 2005. Unknown ordnance suddenly...

Van Lai's Vietnam Ride for CPI Appears in Audrey Magazine

As we previously posted, Clear Path supporter, Van Lai, biked across Vietnam to help support our work. Audrey Magazine picked up the story and it can be seen here. Thanks again, Van!...

CPI Raises Substantial Funding in 4th Quarter

Good news in our most recent press release: During the fourth quarter of 2005, Clear Path International raised more than $275,000 for landmine accident survivors in Southeast Asia through major grants, special events and grassroots contributions, the organization said this week. In October, Clear Path’s fifth anniversary benefit dinner at the Columbia Tower Club in Seattle, attended by many of its island supporters, raised nearly $30,000. This included a $5,000 underwriting grant from the Seattle-based law firm Marler Clark, LLC. In December, the humanitarian mine action group received word from the McKnight Foundation in Minneapolis of $180,000 in grants for Clear Path’s survivor assistance projects in Vietnam and Cambodia during the next two years. The largest two-year grant from McKnight, for $105,000, will support a joint project of CPI and Cambodian Volunteers for Community Development in Phnom Penh to build a rice mill in Battambang Province, western Cambodia. The proposed rice mill and adjoining facility in Battambang will accommodate the training of landmine accident survivors and their families in hands-on agricultural and technical vocational skills. The total budget for the mill, whose production is expected to make the training program self-sustaining within three years, is $327,000. The other two-year McKnight grant for $75,000 will support Clear Path International’s survivor assistance program in central Vietnam, where the organization provides medical and socioeconomic assistance to hundreds of families in three districts north and south of the former Demilitarized Zone that once split the country in two. From the Mark D. Johnson Charitable Trust in California, Clear Path received a $50,000 gift, with $30,000 for survivor assistance in all three program countries �“ Vietnam, Cambodia and the Thai-Burma border area �“ and $20,000 for a media project to raise awareness of the landmine problem in Southeast Asia. In addition, Clear Path received a $5,000 grant for its survivor assistance and mine action work from the Olive Higgins Prouty Foundation and $4,000 from John and Hazel Griffith of San Jose. The remainder of the $275,000 came from individual donations. Since it was founded on Bainbridge Island in 2000, Clear Path has provided assistance to more than 2,300 landmine accident survivors and their families in Southeast Asia, and sent 60 containers with $4 million worth of medical equipment and supplies to dozens of hospitals in 20 countries affected by the presence of landmines.

Sally Taylor & John Curley to Host CPI’s 5th Anniversary on Oct. 16

SEATTLE -- Clear Path International will celebrate its fifth anniversary at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 16 with a benefit dinner high above Seattle at the Columbia Tower Club. The event, “An Evening of Hope for Landmine Survivors,” will be...

August 25: One man killed, house down to ashes

The phone rang just as we enter the office after lunch break. Another UXO accident had just happened in Vinh Lam commune, Vinh Linh district. The informant just briefed that it was a serious accident involved a man killed...

Father of Five Killed by Bomb in Vietnam

Sounds of lament could be heard from a distance. Neighbors were quietly preparing for the funeral. An altar was set up right at the main entrance to the living room. A green curtain separates the altar from a bed...

US-Vietnam War Continues to Claim Lives, Limbs In Central Vietnam

QUANG TRI, Vietnam - August 22 - The US-Vietnam War continues to claim lives and limbs here in Central Vietnam. Bombs that lie scattered across the landscape detonate on a regular basis killing and maiming adults and children on a...

HRW: Destroy Stockpile of Unsafe Cluster Submunitions

While we call ourselves a "Landmine Victim Assistance" organization, it is really accurate, but much more wordy to say "Victim of Unexploded Ordnance Assistace" organization. Bombies, or cluster bombs, kill and injure more people in Vietnam than landmines. The...

Journal of Mine Action Article on Clear Path

An article written by CPI Co-founder Imbert Matthee is appearing in this month's online version of the Journal of Mine Action. Survivor Assistance Profile: Clear Path International Rebuilding Shattered Lives in Southeast Asia You can read the article here. Imbert,...

Landmine Safe Shoes?

http://www.minefield-shoes.com/ ...and fashionable as well Read more about landmines on Technorati.

Pentagon to Resume Landmine Production

This release was sent to us from the International Campaign to Ban Landmines and reprinted from HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH. Clear Path International takes no official stand on this issue believing our work speaks for itself. Washington, August 3, 2005 Human...

Man Killed By Vietnam War Era Bomb

A 41 year-old man was killed by a Vietnam War-era piece of ordnance on July 22nd, 2005 in the Vinh Linh district of Quang tri province, Vietnam. Nguyen Cuu Lam dicovered the bomb while working in the fields and was...

Thank you, Stuart!

Fellow blogger, journalist and landmine survivor Stuart Hughes interviewed me today for an upcoming podcast (I really love podcasts... I have been listening to them like mad... podcasting is like Tivo for the more cerebral). Stuart, a journalist at the...

Thank you Ben, Sally, & Company!

All of us at Clear Path would like to thank Ben Taylor, Sally Taylor, David Saw, Amity Fletcher, Rumer Joyce, Carrie Tree, Rick Redington, Larry Ciancia, and Dean Bragonier for putting on a spectacular show for us on July 18!

Boy, 14, Found Dead from US-Vietnam War Era Explosive

Quang Tri Province, Vietnam- A young boy was found dead by his mother last week after he failed to return home from farming peanuts early in the morning on July 8, 2005.

Man Injured By Explosive in Vietnam

(Vo The Vinh, aged 46) An accident happened to a 46 year-old man in Gio Linh district of Quang Tri province at 10h a.m on Saturday, June 25^th . A piece of ordnance detonated while he was gardening outside his...

Falklands: Leave our Landmines There

The people of the Falkland Islands have voted to turn down government assistance in clearing landmines from their territories and instead for the money to help those in more grave danger... Read more here....

There are Many Types of Landmines

Many people think of landmines as round, platelike objects. In reality, mines come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, depending on their application and the technology available. Here is a great resource for learning more about all the...

Landmine Kills Father and Injures Daughter in Vietnam

Due to economic hardhip, many people in former war zones in SE Asia tamper with unexploded ordnance (UXO) tampering to sell the metal and the TNT. Below is the most recent story involving tampering that resulted in death and injury...

Video: Mother of two is lost to Bomb

This accident was reported here last month, but Chi from the Vietnam ofice just put together a video of the visit with the family. Click the button below to see the video. He has also sent in a report which...

The Landmine's More Deadly Cousin

The landmine's more deadly cousin, the cluster bomb kills and injures people with regularity in Vietnam. In present-day Vietnam, a cluster bomb's "bomblet" or "bombie" resembles a muddy baseball. Children are naturally drawn to them out of curiosity, often to...

Boy, 12, Killed by Cluster Bomb in Vietnam

Quang Binh Province, Vietnam- A boy has lost his life after discovering a piece of unexploded ordnance in Central Vietnam. Nguyen Si Phu, 12, had found a cluster bomb while playing near his aunt's home on May 29, 2005....

Johnson State Trip Slideshow

The Johnson State College pictures can be viewed as a slideshow here. As new photos are sent in they will be added to the presentation....

Weekly Update: Good and Bad News

This week's update from the Vietnam office: "CPI receive the info of one new accident by CPFC Duc Pho District of Quang Ngai in this reporting period: One killed and one injured as below:Two men left their home and went...

Despite 30 Years of Peace between US and Vietnam War Isn’t Over For Everyone

Despite 30 Years of Peace between US and Vietnam War Isn’t Over For Everyone Unexploded Ordnance Continues to Kill & Maim In Central Vietnam On the eve of the 30th anniversary of the end of the war in Vietnam, Clear...

Cambodia Landmine History

Chanthon is CPI's Cambodia Rep and he sends this in from Phnom Penh! Cambodia, home to 10 million people and the fabled Angkor Wat temple, is also “home” to millions of landmines. War has injured the country socially, culturally and...

Turtles Can Fly: The Children of War

The following is posted by longtime CPI advisor, and movie critic, Dr. Joan Widdifield. "Turtles Can Fly" Director: Bahman Ghobadi Running Time: 95 minutes Language: Kurdish 2004 The 1974 documentary "Hearts & Minds" released at the end of the...

Landmine Commercial Controversy

Recently there has been a lot of media buzz around a commercial put out by the U.N. Mine Action Service. If you have not seen the ad, it involves a typical American, middle class, suburban scene. Two girls soccer teams...

Landmine Monitor 2004 Report on UXO in Vietnam

Was just reading this to send to a reporter and thought I would share it here. This comes from the LANDMINE MONITOR's online edition. Vietnam, Landmine Monitor Report 2004 Vietnam is heavily contaminated with unexploded ordnance from the conflict in...

School is in Session

What has not gotten a lot of coverage, if any, on our site is the CPI-built elementary school which opened for classes in September of 2004. Serving 383 children ages 6-11 in two separate shifts, the "Peace School" as it...

A Young Boy in a Dangerous Job

This weekend all of us at CPI here in Vietnam went on a staff retreat to Ba Na. Ba Na is a beautiful location high in the mountains above Da Nang. I am sure one could see for miles from...