In the Laos capital, Vientiane
COPE stands for Cooperative Orthotic and Prosthetic Enterprise and was set up in order to provide care and support to the huge number of people injured by UXO (unexploded ordinance), mostly by providing prosthetic limbs. They also provide support for those with other, non UXO related, disabilities across Laos.
During the war between the US and Vietnam, Laos was heavily bombed by American forces in an attempt to prevent supplies from going down the Ho Chi Min trail, a guerrilla supply line which went through much of Laos. The war in Laos was kept secret from Congress and the American people because of the 1954 Geneva Accords on Indochina that were suppose to protect Laotian neutrality.
Laos
This obviously poses a huge threat to local communities. 25 percent of all Lao villages are still under significant threat. Villagers regularly use the metal from UXO in their homes – making cooking pots, tools and sometimes, in the case of bigger shell casing, as stilts for their houses or metal canoes. As a result of the familiarity they have with the devices, often they have no fear when they come across UXO in the countryside, despite education to the contrary. Children in particular collect UXO to sell as scrap metal, making 10,000kip ($1) for a small cluster bomb. They even buy cheap $10 metal detectors and quickly make their money back. This, of course, leads to a huge number of accidents. Over 50,000 people have been killed or injured as a result of UXO accidents since 1964.
The centre has lots of displays telling the stories of children who have used bombs as balls in a game, women who make a fire without knowing that there is a bomb buried in the earth beneath, and men who attempt to use the bombs to fish. Those who survive the initial blast, the journey to hospital (which can take several hours) and the hospitals themselves are often shunned from their communities. If not, their families spend all their money and sell all their livestock in order to pay for treatment. Many people end up making their own prosthetic limbs - out of UXO - to avoid spending their lives trapped in houses which are raised off the ground and difficult to get in and out of.
Above: Improvised prostetic limb, made using UXO
COPE not only makes prosthetic limbs, it also makes tricycle wheel chairs which can make their way over rough terrain (of which there is a lot in Laos) and are close to the ground to ease getting on and off the ground, where most rural Lao people eat, sleep and live. They have five centers across the country, open to and free for everyone. As well as initial treatment, they discuss on going care, therapy and education. Survivors need regular physiotherapy and children need new prosthetic limbs made as they grow.
As well as displays telling the stories of those affected by UXO, there was a small cinema showing documentaries. The film I watched explained the problems in clearing the UXO. To clear one hectare, little more than the size of a football field, takes at least ten days. It can take longer if the terrain is hilly or thick with forest, if there is bad weather, proximity to villages roads, bridges and electrics, or objections from the village. Many villagers who experienced the original bombings are reluctant to evacuate during detonations - claiming they survived it the first time round. Those working to clear the land also have to respect take into consideration village customs, such as not carrying anything on the day of a funeral (not easy when removing bombs) or appeasing local spirits.
From 2004 to 2012, MAG (Mines Advisory Group) cleared more than 38.7 million square meters of suspect land in Lao, destroying 161,802 items of UXO. As a result villagers gained more safe land for farming, clean drinking water, latrines, irrigation for rice cropping, safe school compounds and tertiary roads. Although villagers are glad when the threat has gone, they often resent the loss of potential income. It will take at least 15 more years to survey, map and clear UXOs from all the populated and agricultural areas now on the Lao government’s priority list.
The Convention on Cluster Munitions bans the use, production, stock piling and transfer of cluster munitions and obliges states to clear affected areas, assist victims and destroy stock piles. Since 1997, 94 countries have signed the treaty. TheUnited States of America
COPE stands for Cooperative Orthotic and Prosthetic Enterprise and was set up in order to provide care and support to the huge number of people injured by UXO (unexploded ordinance), mostly by providing prosthetic limbs. They also provide support for those with other, non UXO related, disabilities across Laos.
Above: Statue outside the COPE centre, made from 500kg of UXO.
During the war between the US and Vietnam, Laos was heavily bombed by American forces in an attempt to prevent supplies from going down the Ho Chi Min trail, a guerrilla supply line which went through much of Laos. The war in Laos was kept secret from Congress and the American people because of the 1954 Geneva Accords on Indochina that were suppose to protect Laotian neutrality.
Above: Map of the bombed areas, each red dot represents a bombing mission - one every eight minutes for six years.
This obviously poses a huge threat to local communities. 25 percent of all Lao villages are still under significant threat. Villagers regularly use the metal from UXO in their homes – making cooking pots, tools and sometimes, in the case of bigger shell casing, as stilts for their houses or metal canoes. As a result of the familiarity they have with the devices, often they have no fear when they come across UXO in the countryside, despite education to the contrary. Children in particular collect UXO to sell as scrap metal, making 10,000kip ($1) for a small cluster bomb. They even buy cheap $10 metal detectors and quickly make their money back. This, of course, leads to a huge number of accidents. Over 50,000 people have been killed or injured as a result of UXO accidents since 1964.
Above: “Bombies” - The size of tennis balls and designed to explode into razor-sharp shrapnel pieces on impact. There could be up to 500 of these in one shell casing.
COPE not only makes prosthetic limbs, it also makes tricycle wheel chairs which can make their way over rough terrain (of which there is a lot in Laos) and are close to the ground to ease getting on and off the ground, where most rural Lao people eat, sleep and live. They have five centers across the country, open to and free for everyone. As well as initial treatment, they discuss on going care, therapy and education. Survivors need regular physiotherapy and children need new prosthetic limbs made as they grow.
As well as displays telling the stories of those affected by UXO, there was a small cinema showing documentaries. The film I watched explained the problems in clearing the UXO. To clear one hectare, little more than the size of a football field, takes at least ten days. It can take longer if the terrain is hilly or thick with forest, if there is bad weather, proximity to villages roads, bridges and electrics, or objections from the village. Many villagers who experienced the original bombings are reluctant to evacuate during detonations - claiming they survived it the first time round. Those working to clear the land also have to respect take into consideration village customs, such as not carrying anything on the day of a funeral (not easy when removing bombs) or appeasing local spirits.
Above: Shell casing.
One of these could contain 500 'bombies' are are often used as
canoes, planters, stilts for houses or are broken and melted down to
make pots, tools or trinkets to sell to tourists.
From 2004 to 2012, MAG (Mines Advisory Group) cleared more than 38.7 million square meters of suspect land in Lao, destroying 161,802 items of UXO. As a result villagers gained more safe land for farming, clean drinking water, latrines, irrigation for rice cropping, safe school compounds and tertiary roads. Although villagers are glad when the threat has gone, they often resent the loss of potential income. It will take at least 15 more years to survey, map and clear UXOs from all the populated and agricultural areas now on the Lao government’s priority list.
The Convention on Cluster Munitions bans the use, production, stock piling and transfer of cluster munitions and obliges states to clear affected areas, assist victims and destroy stock piles. Since 1997, 94 countries have signed the treaty. The
http://www.copelaos.org/
Such a good and worthwhile commentary Imogen, thank you for sharing it. Sobering thoughts. Luv Murv
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