In the past 45 years, UXOs have killed or maimed more than 20,000 people in Laos. About 40% of those were children.
ChildFund’s Global Community supporters have been helping families such as Paye’s by supporting bomb clearances on farmland in Nonghet.
These bomb clearances allow families to use their property to grow food to eat and sell, something that many families have not been able to do for more than four decades.
A survey of Paye’s property revealed two general-purpose bombs, 47 bullets and some clusters bombs, which were destroyed immediately.
“I’m very happy to have had assistance with clearing bombs because it’s made it more convenient to use the land and farm since there is no risk of further unexploded ordnance,” Paye says.
He still finds unexploded bombs in areas of his property that were not part of the survey.
“I tell my children and wife that we have to be conscious all the time because there’s still UXOs in other places that we don’t know and wouldn’t expect,” he said.
