Mine Action Programs

The Humpty Dumpty Institute is among the nation's premier frontline organizations in the battle against the international landmine epidemic. HDI establishes unique and innovative partnerships to fund landmine clearance projects around the globe. In 2004, HDI pioneered a new model for funding mine action by monetizing surplus U.S. food commodities and applying the proceeds toward the mutually reinforcing goals of demining and agricultural development. Through these partnerships, HDI has directly contributed nearly $10 million for landmine clearance programs in Angola, Armenia, Laos, Lebanon, Mozambique, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam.

In addition, HDI's founders created the Adopt-A-Minefield Program in 1998 which has raised an additional $20 million over the past decade. HDI's various projects around the world all share a fundamental goal: to give direct and indirect victims of landmines a chance to return home, lead normal lives, find gainful employment, support their families and be productive members of society.

We are currently working in the following countries:

Laos

Funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's McGovern-Dole Food for Education program, HDI received $2.95 million in 2006 to remove unexploded ordnance (UXO) at school sites in 50 villages in the three most remote provinces in central Laos. The project also calls for the daily feeding of 10,000 impoverished Laotian children, establishing gardens and rebuilding schools. Our implementing partners in Laos are International Relief and Development and Mine Action Group.

Sri Lanka

Funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food For Progress program, HDI received a mix of red lentils and soybean oil (valued at $4 million) to fund a significant mine clearance operation in Sri Lanka. This project centers on the Jaffna district in the northern part of Sri Lanka. The project not only is clearing landmines from significant swaths of land in Jaffna, it is also revitalizing the once thriving dairy industry in Jaffna. Our implementing partners in Sri Lanka are Land O'Lakes and The Halo Trust.

Vietnam

Funded by a grant from the State Department's Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement (PM/WRA) office, the Humpty Dumpty Institute has partnered with Project Renew in Vietnam. Together, we are working with hundreds of landmine survivors and their families in Vietnam's Quang Tri province to increase their livelihoods by introducing modern mushroom farming techniques and creating a larger market for the sale of mushrooms coming from this particular province.

Please see the following pages for information on HDI's successfully completed mine action projects: Angola, Armenia, Eritrea, Lebanon and Mozambique.

To learn more, please contact Steve Ginther, Program Manager for Mine Action at +1 212-944-7111 or steve.ginther@thehdi.org or contact Daniel Mencher, Program Manager for Mine Action at +1 212-944-7111 or daniel.mencher@thehdi.org.