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Landmines, a permanent danger in Angola
Interview with Ema Macia, manager of the Mine Risk Education programme in Angola.
What is the scope of the Mine Risk Education programme?
In Angola, there are around 80,000 amputees and 6 million landmines. 3.5 million displaced people are currently returning to their homes. We are working in 5 provinces in Angola, in camps and villages and have 250 mine educational workers.
What are the difficulties that you are facing?
Bad road conditions are the first problem. Furthermore, during the rainy season, water streams may move the landmines towards areas considered safe.
Finally, in some areas landmines haven’t been identified.
Who do your actions target?
The population in general, but more specifically displaced populations. Every day, women and children cross dangerous areas to collect water, wood or to work in the fields. We organise mine risk education courses through theatre acts for analphabetic people, puppets for children, radio announcements, … We go to schools to educate the maximum number of children.
Finally, we team up with theatre troupes, networks of teachers and health workers to increase the scope of our activities.
This type of mine risk education is vital in helping to reduce the number of accidents. | 
