Laos: Visiting MAG & COPE

In addition to learning more about Room to Read, we're hoping to use this trip to learn more about and meet up with cool nonprofits doing important local work. With Laos, Alexis and I both went in knowing exactly the issue that we wanted to address: luckily, we found two great organizations in Vientiane working on it!

(PICTURES PLZ!)

UXOs: The persistent nightmare

During the Vietnam War, the US launched a 9 year secret offensive in Laos in an attempt to cut off the Viet Cong's supply lines that resulted in 2 million tons of explosives dropped on to the small country with little regard for civilian life. As a result, this quite country holds the unfortunate title of "the most bombed nation per capita in the world"--and the gift keeps on giving. It's estimated that 30% of the bombs failed to explode, meaning that 600,000 tons of explosives are still scattered around the forests and fields of Laos, a mere bump away from exploding. It's a giant game of Minesweeper without any numbers to help.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Map of known bombing sites in Laos"][/caption]

The consequences of this are horrifying. Decades after the war Laos was never supposed to be involved in, hundreds of people are killed or seriously injured by UXOs each year; many are kids, who play with the colorful and small-sized submunitions out of curiosity. In heavily affected provinces, simple acts like construction or tilling a new field are terrifyingly risky ventures, paralyzing development. Even more tragically, a growing number of Laotians ignore these risks to become scrap metal collectors as metal prices soar and their alternatives for income dwindle. Children, drawn to the prospect of making extra money for their families without being fully cognizant of the risks, often mimic the adults.

As for the US? There's been no official apology, as the government has yet to officially admit to the war in Laos. The US will give about $5 million this year to aid UXO removal, which seems like a healthy chunk of change--until you compare that to the $17 million spent every DAY for nine years on bombing Laos. Oh, and we didn't sign that agreement to ban cluster bombs, either. If you sense hostility in my writing, it's nothing compared to the helpless rage I felt standing in the small museum built by MAG, surrounded by rusty shells and heart-wrenching stories.

Real-Life Minesweepers

The museum was run by the Mines Advisory Group (MAG), an independent nonprofit working to reduce and contain the danger posed by remnants of conflicts. They're the ones on the front lines of dealing with the mess: actually clearing areas so that Laotians can go on with their lives. You think "Deadliest Catch" is a nail-biting show? Watch Bomb Harvest, a documentary about MAG, and try not to have a heart attack--these guys (and gals!) locate, identify, move, and disarm giant explosives under unpredictable conditions, always one move away from killing everyone nearby.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Some of the many types of explosives used in Laos"][/caption]

But it's not just the size of their cajones we admire. Rather than just clearing as much land as possible, MAG works with villages to determine what the most useful areas are to clear. By focusing efforts strategically, they are able to maximize the improvement to the village's quality-of-life despite their limited resources. And while MAG brings in explosive experts from around the world initially, they do so to help train local teams to be capable of handling UXOs in their own provinces: this not only expedites the process in the long run, but also provides much-needed local jobs. Additionally, they actively hire disabled people, giving these victims a chance to support themselves again.

MAG is a big organization with big-ticket funders, but we think there might be ways for geeks to help. Sure, they're part of a coalition that won a Nobel Peace Prize or whatever, but how come they don't have Roombas that can detect bombs yet? Cheaper GPS units? If you have ideas for projects that could help MAG out in their work, let us know and maybe we can organize something!

Coping with Destruction

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="A sculpture outside COPE made of scraps from UXOs"][/caption]

Later that afternoon, we headed over to the COPE visitor to take a look at the other half of the solution--treating those who have already been affected by UXOs. COPE (Cooperative Orthotics and Prosthetics Enterprise) is a nonprofit housed inside Laos' National Rehabilitation Center, a campus of facilities for fitting prosthetics, making wheelchairs, and physical rehabilitation. The COPE visitor center is part store (proceeds go towards COPE, of course), part documentary screening room, part exhibit on UXOs and COPE's work, and all awesome. Oh, and there's an ice cream stand with cheerful flavors to bring a smile back to your face afterwards.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="333" caption="A wheelchair designed especially for Laos roads"][/caption]

In addition to maintaining the visitor center, COPE sponsors patients through the full rehabilitation process, covering all costs such as transportation from their hometowns and meals. COPE also designs and manufactures assistive devices(wheelchairs and walkers), prosthetics, and orthotics, focusing especially on designing for Laotians and their way of life as well as incorporating more local materials and construction processes. COPE's manufacturing team, many of whom are former patients who have received a great deal of specialized training, produces 9-12 fully-customized and locally-sourced legs a week--for just $50 each!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="333" caption="Homemade leg from a COPE patient"][/caption]

One of the most amazing things at the visitors' center was the collection of homemade legs left behind by COPE patients. The variety of ingenious solutions and the quality of workmanship was astounding, and it was especially touching that several of the legs used metal from the fragments of the bomb itself. The collection is truly a powerful testament to perseverance and innovation in the face of tragedy.

We were lucky enough to sit down with a few COPE staffers after our visit, and we brainstormed some ideas to help out that we'll be telling you about very soon. In short, however, COPE could use some on-the-ground technical assistance (fixing up their website, building easy-to-use databases to coordinate between field offices). Additionally, they would  like to take more volunteers who are trained in designing or fitting orthotics/prosthetics/assistive devices or physical therapy, but lack the capacity to manage the logistics (finding housing, paying a stipend, finding a translator) in most cases. Breadpig is interested in helping them with both of these things, so if you're interested in getting involved please let us know!