Cambodian survivors of landmine and unexploded ordnance accidents will receive additional rehabilitative assistance thanks to more than $100,000 raised during the annual charitable dinner hosted by Grapes for Humanity (gfhglobal.org ), a non-governmental organization and U.S. Department of State Public-Private Partner in humanitarian mine action.
The funds raised at this event, which was generously supported by Jean-Guillaume Prats of Cos d’Estournel wines and Priestly Demolition Inc., under the patronage of the Economic and Trade Commissioner for France, will be granted to the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation to construct new facilities at its Prey Veng rehabilitation center in eastern Cambodia. The Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation engages in mine survivors assistance and landmine impact surveys and is also one of the Department’s mine action partners.
Since 1979 alone, landmines and unexploded ordnance have killed or seriously injured over 62,000 Cambodians. Cambodia remains a high-priority country for assistance from the multi-agency U.S. Humanitarian Mine Action Program, receiving more than $49 million from the United States since 1993 for demining, mine risk education, and mine survivors assistance. Even with such official support from the United States and other donor nations, civil society contributions for mine action in Cambodia as well as other mine-affected countries, as exemplified here by Grapes for Humanity and its sponsors and individual supporters, are vital and appreciated.
The Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, manages the Department’s humanitarian mine action and small arms/light weapons control activities worldwide. It also operates a Public-Private Partnership Program to attract additional resources to address the global landmine problem. To learn more about these Public-Private Partnerships or to download “Safe Passage,” the partnership newsletter, visit www.state.gov/t/pm/wra/partners/.
2006/1056
Released on November 20, 2006