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.

The Scent of Northern Thailand: A Volunteer's Experience on the Thai-Burma Border

By paying close attention to the patients’ behaviors and by being deliberate with my facial expressions and voice tones, I strived to offer patients some physical relief, encouragement, and a sense of being cared for.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

CPI Packs Another Shipping Container of Medical Supplies Bound For Laos

We were introduced to the National Rehabilitation Center in Vientiane through the kind folks at COPE (Cooperative Orthotic & Prosthetic Enterprise), a group of NGOs working together to provide services for the country's many disabled, including landmine and UXO accident survivors. We met them last year on a four-day trip to Vientiane and promised we would help them with equipment and supplies.

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.

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.”

My first Cambodian birthday party, with Arn Chorn Pond

It only takes a moment of conversation to become captivated with Arn. He is warm and kind with an infectious smile. He lights up when he talks, which lights up the room around him.

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.

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.

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.

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...

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...

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...

CPI Supporter Writes song for Louisiana

Those that have been to recent Clear Path events on the east coast will be familiar with Rick Redington. Rick has written a song for Louisiana hurricane victims in the hopes that it will inspire people to give to the...

Foot Doctor Helps Poor

Our good friend and CPI advisor Dr. Frank Cobarrubia is profiled this week in the THE BULLETIN out of Bend, Oregon. Dr Frank is one of those remarkable people you feel fortunate to know. He has given so much of...

Mine Survivor to Bike Across Death Valley

The following is a press release from our friends at Mines Advisory Group and Stuart Hughes Stuart Hughes, a BBC World Affairs Producer, who lost his leg in a landmine explosion in 2003 while covering the war in Iraq, is...

MAG Has a New Ad

Our good friends at MAG have just released their new advertisement. Reminds me of the film Pleasantville... very well done and very scary.... a bit too graphic for some, I am sure....

"Vietnam: The Next Generation" PBS Series

From an email sent to us by David Lamb: Americans remember the Vietnam War. But what do we know of those Vietnamese born in its aftermath? That’s what Sandy Northrop sets out to answer in her new documentary for PBS,...

Bombhunters Movie Website is Up

WOW! Our friend Skye just emailed to let me know that his new website for his upcoming film BOMBHUNTERS is up... Check it out! Bombhunters - The Film...

Dark Star Crashes: The Passing of Scott Larned

I just learned that the keyboardist for Dark Star Orchestra, Scott Larned, died of a heart attack this weekend. Scott was a friend of our treasurer Francesca Thompson and he was so kind in helping us get Dark Star Orchestra...

Senator Leahy On The Loss Of Marla Ruzicka

Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy On The Death Of Marla Ruzicka...

One of Us: The Death of Marla Ruzicka

CNN.com - Humanitarian group founder killed in Iraq - Apr 17, 2005 About a year ago I was in Thailand waiting for my contact to arrive at my hotel to take me to a CPI project site on the Thai-Burma...

Notes from the Field: A Filmmaker's View

April 6th, 2005 Notes from the Field: Vietnam Here’s the deal. We’re shooting a film titled BOMBHUNTERS, that examines the effects of UXO contamination on vulnerable populations in Cambodia and Vietnam. We’ve spent four and a half months shooting throughout...

Artists Contribute Music to CPI Benefit CD

The war in Vietnam may have ended 30 years ago on April 30th , 1975, but bombs and landmines left over from that conflict still maim and kill innocent civilians almost every day. In response to this humanitarian tragedy, Natalie...

CPI Benefit CD on Rolling Stone Website

For the past few months we have been putting together a benefit CD featuring some excellent talent. I called Rolling Stone today and asked if they would be interested in running a piece... they posted the story within hours...

Mine Survivor To Bike Across Desert For MAG

This just in from CPI friend and Mines Advisory Group patron Stuart Hughes: "I was able to spend some time putting together a proposal to cycle across Death Valley later in the year to raise loads of lovely money for...

Thank you, Hugh Hosman!

This week marked Hugh Hosman's last week with CPI in Vietnam. He has been instrumental in creating the CPI Direct Victim Assistance program. He was so effective, in fact, that we are able to now have an all Vietnamese office...

Chanthon's Story

CHHORN CHANTHON is the newest member of the CPI team. He is our on the ground representative in Cambodia and works with our partner Cambodian Volunteers for Community Development. He recently sent me his bio for our website. Before reading...

Polus Center visits Vermont

POSTED BY: Stephen Meyers, Director of International Programs, The Polus Center What do all the New England-based mine action organizations that work in warm places do during these long winters? They get together at Clear Path's home base in Vermont...

Working Class Heroes: Cambodian Volunteers for Community Development

I had posted this entry below on Tom Peters blog a almost a week ago. It occured to me I should post it here to give context to CPI's oft-mentioned partnership with Cambodian Volunteers for Community Development (CVCD) and our...

Arn's Home: Swimming in Cambodia

I have never seen someone as happy and proud as Arn was while showing me his new home, which should be completed in a month. I wrote about Arn earlier here. Sitting on the banks of the Mekong, his...

How to get to Sesame Street?

Last night I was very fortunate to have dinner with Sarath and Chanton of CVCD) ,Sarath's wife (who's name escapes me), Sothea Arun (who used to run CVCD) and my old high school friend and Cambodian icon, Arn Chorn-Pond. Arn...

Phnom Penh: A Chrome Horse and a Diplomat

I just arrived in Phnom Penh, Cambodia last night to a warm welcome from my good friend Sarath from Cambodian Volunteers for Community Development (CVCD). CVCD is our implementing partner for landmine survivor vocational skills training in rural Cambodia. It...

Our Friends at Mines Advisory Group

At our office here in Vermont, we were recently visited by Tim and Tariq of the Mines Advisory Group (MAG) of Manchester, England. Our offices in Vietnam are within spitting distance of each other in Quang Tri Province (but, we...

TRIP: Lessons and Legacies of the Vietnam War

Our friends at The Fund for Reconciliation and Development are offering educational tours and organizing a national conference marking the thirtieth anniversary of peace and the tenth anniversary of normalization of diplomatic relations beween the United States and Vietnam. Organizations...