Mine Action in Colombia

On November 15, 2005, at Adopt-A-Minefield's Annual Benefit Gala in Los Angeles, we announced the launch of our new program for Colombia. 

As a result of the ongoing civil conflict, Colombia is the most mine-impacted country in the Western Hemisphere and second only to Afghanistan in the number of new mine victims.  While the government of Colombia has signed the Mine Ban Treaty and is not using mines, non-state actors- the guerrillas and the paramilitary forces– continue to lay mines. 

Every nine hours, there is a new landmine victim and 1/3 of these are children.  Most accidents happen in rural areas, far from health clinics and hospitals.  The vast majority of landmine survivors in Colombia do not receive adequate medical attention or physical rehabilitation.

Adopt-A-Minefield seeks to prevent new accidents through mine risk education and to help existing survivors by supporting Colombian organizations that are providing services to landmine survivors.  By supporting local efforts to minimize the impact of landmines on the people of Colombia, we will help save lives and livelihoods.

On November 15^th, Adopt-A-Minefield honored Juanes, Colombian rock star sensation for his important work speaking out against landmines.     We are proud to be working in partnership with Juanes, Goodwill Ambassador for United for Colombia, a not-for-profit organization that seeks to raise awareness about the impact of landmines within Colombia.