The clearing of unexploded bombs is a prerequisite for people to be able to live safely in these areas in Southern Lebanon and to be able to farm the land. Photo: DCA

DanChurchAid has received 1,000,000 Danish kroner from Ole Kirk’s Foundation (The Lego Foundation) to complete the clearing of unexploded cluster bombs in three local areas in the Southern part of Lebanon. Two specialised bomb clearing teams from DanChurchAid have worked on the bomb clearing for three years â€" at first under UN coordination and since then coordinated by the Lebanese authorities. According to plan the work was supposed to be terminated by now. But the schedules laid out by the UN three years ago were to optimistic as it turned out that the clearing necessary after the Israeli bombings proved to be far more extensive than at first sight.

Bomb clearing in Southern Lebanon

• One area is called Aytarun and measures 1 million m2. DanChurchAid has cleared 15% of this area and so far 276 unexploded bombs have been found.
• The other area is Tulin which covers 250,000 m2. At present the clearing teams have cleared 83,000 m2 and found 24 unexploded bombs.
• The third area is also in Tulin and the work here will be started shortly.
• The areas which are cleared consist of arable farming land, foot paths and gardens.
• All three areas are expected to be cleared by January 2010.

In order to be able to continue the clearing and hand over the land to the locals, extra funding was needed. “This is why we are particularly happy to receive one million Danish kroner from Ole Kirk’s Foundation so that we can terminate the operation in the three local areas where we are engaged. Several severe casualties took place in these areas, some lethal, before the clearing started,” says Claus Nielsen, Programme Manager of the DanChurchAid programme in Lebanon.

Children and farmers are injuredUnexploded cluster bombs both mutilate and kill children and adults. Mostly children and farmers are the ones hit. The farmers unknowingly bump into them while working in the fields. And the Children pick them up in their hands while playing in these areas. The clearing of unexploded bombs therefore is a prerequisite for people to be able to live safely in these areas and to be able to farm the land. Not till the land is free of these dangerous bombs will the local communities be in a position to start a real and necessary reconstruction. Visit Ole Kirks Fond â€" The Lego Fondation