| Mine Clearance Mine clearance operations are aimed at helping the population to rebuild a normal life. The selection of areas to be cleared is always decided in collaboration with the local authorities. The priority is on areas that play an important role in the daily lives of local communities (e.g.: paths near schools or wells). To speed up manual mine clearance, we regularly use dogs to detect explosives. Their ability to locate landmines, even when they contain no metal, makes the dogs invaluable. They help to reduce the number of suspect areas and check the quality of areas cleared of mines. We also plan to use mechanical methods - mainly to prepare the ground -in all our projects. Using a machine will improve efficiency and better guarantee the safety of the staff. At the same time, we are active within various international working groups dealing with future strategies and activities for action against landmines. In particular, we belong to the group coordinating national surveys on the impact of landmines, and to the group piloting and coordinating action against landmines with the United Nations. | 
