Surviving the Peace

Dear Friends around the world,

After more than 30 years of conflict, parts of Angola are amongst the most landmine-affected areas in the world. The immediate post-conflict period since April 2002 has seen hundreds of thousands of refugees return to the countryside. Mined roads and destroyed bridges still present a significant obstacle to post-war recovery, and the presence of minefields around many of the major population centres is placing intense pressure on land for agriculture and resettlement.

Luanda International School (LIS) was established in 2002. It is situated in Luanda Sul, a new suburb south of the capital city Luanda. The school has grown rapidly over the last few years and now has classes from Pre-school through to Year 13. All classes follow the International Baccalaureate Organization’s programmes of education. Community and service is an integral part of the IBO’s programmes at LIS.

Acknowledging the fact that students cannot actively be involved in clearing landmines, yet seeing the need to respond to the problem of landmines in our host country, teachers and students at LIS decided to tackle a landmines community and service project in a different way. A visit from a Mines Advisory Group (MAG) representative, and a Landmines Awareness Week with another visitor from MAG, led to the school adopting the issue of landmines, in a partnership with MAG, as one of their main community and service projects.

Humanitarian organisations such as MAG have a key role to play in facilitating the safe return of refugees and in contributing towards Angola's socio-economic reconstruction - through clearance of land for cultivation and construction, as well as the clearance of access routes and vital social service facilities. We would like to support their work in Angola.

Our Year 7 students, aged 11 and 12, have started the ball rolling with the production of a film which highlights the problems of landmines in Angola. Using video and photographic material from MAG and scenes from the Landmines Awareness Week at LIS, a handful of young students produced the film you are about to see.

We hope that you will support our Surviving the Peace community and service project by making a donation to support MAG’s work in Angola. A special donation page has been created for us by MAG and money coming in through this page will be set aside for work in Angola. (See Below)

Money raised through this project will support a number of life-saving activities in Angola, such as:

• Providing Mine Risk Education (MRE) to communities and schools throughout Moxico, Lunda Sul and Lunda Norte - provinces in Angola
• Clearing land around schools in Moxico province
• Clearing villages and community areas from mines and Unexploded Ordinance (UXO )
• Supporting reconstruction and development in Moxico province – through mine clearance, road clearance, and MRE
• Providing mechanical mine clearance support to road clearance teams
• Supporting local Angolan NGOs in providing MRE

Please join us in this, by sharing and supporting this important cause. We hope that through your support of our project, children in Angola will be able to survive the peace.

Sincerely,

Students, Teachers and Parents of the Luanda International School

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Landmine Awareness Week 2007

During our second annual Landmines Awareness Week at Luanda International School we will be highlighting the dangers of landmines and also the operations of organizations that are working to try to eliminate these awful weapons. The Mines Advisory Group (MAG) is a British-based organization that works all over the world to clear abandoned mines, working with communities in many countries, including Angola, to lessen the threat of death and injury and helping those nations rebuild and develop their economic and social potential. In 1997 MAG and the International Campaign to Ban Landmines won the Nobel Peace Prize.

As well as classroom-based activities here are some of the special events we have organized for the school community during Landmines Awareness Week:

Monday October 22nd:
8:00 to 8:50 – representatives of UNICEF and Secut Bagos will speak to students about Mine Risk Education.

14:10 to 15:00 – Secondary School Assembly on Landmines Awareness in the Dining Hall: personnel from MAG and CNIDAH (Commissão Intersectoral de Desminagem e Assistência Humanitária).

Tuesday October 23rd:
“Odd Shoe Day” – we will wear odd shoes to highlight typical landmine injuries – the loss of a foot or lower limb.

Wednesday October 24th:
14:00 to 15:00: Secondary Student Council organized activities: four separate activities in which groups of students will participate, moving to the next activity every 15 minutes – three legged race; painting without hands; minesweeper chess and dodgeball.

Thursday October 25th:
“One handed lunch” – students will empathize with landmine victims by trying to eat their lunch with one hand.

Throughout the week classes from both the Primary and Secondary School will:

• observe and participate in simulations of de-mining with MAG personnel.
• participate in  games highlighting the dangers of mines
• experience the inconvenience of having to avoid “mined” areas

Our focus this year during this special week is on raising awareness rather than fund raising – a group of LIS parents is planning to develop more fund raising efforts for this cause throughout the year. Students who have the MAG tee-shirts are invited to wear them during Landmines Awareness Week. We hope to have more shirts on sale after the October break and at International Day.

Thank you for your continued support for MAG and other organizations working to eliminate landmines.