Safer ground: where crops, not landmines, are planted   For many small hold farmers in western Cambodia, farming can be a risky business. Not only are landmines and explosive remnants of war a safety hazard, but they also hinder agricultural productivity which is often a ticket to a better income and greater food security for poor families.   In Banteay Meanchey province, 55-year old Teng Louch is happy. Nineteen anti-personnel mines and explosive remnants of war (ERW) were found, removed and destroyed in Malai district, including in plots of land near his home. Now, he grows crops on land that are free of such dangerous devices that can still maim or kill if undetected and not destroyed properly.   “I used to be a laborer, cultivating other people’s land for them and being paid KHR 16,000 ($4) a day,” says Louch. “Now, I can plant near my home and earn from it.”   Through the Clearing for Results project, the United Nations Development Programme and its partners have been helping the government of Cambodia clear landmines in the most highly contaminated provinces of Battambang, Banteay Meanchey and Pailin. The project, supported by the governments of Australia, Canada, Switzerland, Austria and the United Kingdom, has helped clear around 83 km2 of land since 2006. Now on its second phase, the $25 million project has also contributed to the steady decline of landmine casualties throughout Cambodia, from 188 in 2006 to 48 in 2013.   Furthermore, 80% of land cleared in the three provinces in 2011 is now being used for agricultural purposes, according to the project’s post-clearance monitoring. One such family benefitting from this is Louch’s.   Donation Contact : Name Sample Email Sample@gmail.com Phone 098505002 Description Enter the description here

Men and women doing the same demining job   They’re fearless. Meet the deminers who bravely take risks by clearing landmines in the most contaminated areas in Cambodia. Mot Huot is 32 and father to a three-year old boy. Twenty years ago, he worked as soldier in Siemreap Province, with salary for a monthly wage of KHR 220,000 ($55). When he learned about a job opportunity as a deminer in neighboring Battambang province, he signed up for the training.   Meanwhile, Inn Phearum, 29 years old with a two-year old son, was also a low-wage earner before becoming a trained deminer.  Both men did not have the opportunity to finish school but both longed to provide a better income for their families.   Huot and Phearum go through a three-months training course provided by the National Peace Keeping Forces Mine/ERW Clearance training center (NPMEC) in Ordong District, Kampong Speu Province. Here, they learned basic theory how to use mine detectors, follow standard operating procedures and practice safety, among others.   In 2010, they were sent to clear landmine in Lebanon for one year and in 2011 until now they are among the growing number of deminers working at NPMEC in Pailin province, one of the most heavily mined areas in western Cambodia.   “It was my decision to become a deminer,” says Huot. “I am an uneducated man who has not enough income to support my family. If I weren’t a deminer, I would still be a normal soldier earning much less,” he shares. As deminers, each of the deminer is paid $200 per month, gets life and medical insurance.   Through the Clearing for Results project, the United Nations Development Programme has been mainstreaming gender in the mine action sector by advancing the vital role of women in public participation and planning. The Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA) which implements the project, has instituted the Gender in Mine Action Plan (GAP). As the lead government agency that regulates, monitors and coordinates the mine action sector, CMAA through the GAP ensures that it promotes equal access to women and men in clearance work, including in planning and prioritization.   “There still limit of number of women working in landmine/ERW clearance, through GAP will evaluate if women and men equally benefit from demining activities (e.g. training, employment opportunities),” says Peang Sovannary, CMAA’s gender focal person.   “However, there are some areas where gender inequality persists, such as the number of women attending planning meetings. Greater focus on participation at the local level to promote gender equality would assist in increasing women’s involvement in planning and prioritization,” she states.   In addition, traditional gender roles often prevent women from participating in public life and therefore have limited influence in the planning process, thus potentially impeding…