Virginia High School Students Adopt Cambodian Minefield

Cambodians will advance a few more steps toward having their country freed from the scourge of landmines left from past conflicts, thanks to the efforts of students from Yorktown High School in Arlington, Virginia.

The “Yorktown High School Students Against Landmines” club raised over $7000 to clear landmines in Cambodia, one of the world’s most mine-affected countries. The money was sent to the United Nations Association of the United States of America’s “Adopt-A-Minefield” program that enables private citizens, civic associations, charitable organizations and corporations to underwrite landmine clearance in the most critical minefields in severely mine-affected countries.

"The Yorktown High students who initiated this fund-raising project, their parents and teachers deserve an A-plus for their civic mindedness and generosity," remarked Lincoln P. Bloomfield, Jr., the Special Representative of the President and Secretary of State for Mine Action who also serves as Assistant Secretary for Political-Military Affairs. "Every dollar raised by the private sector to clean up landmines advances our common goal of achieving a mine-safe world."

The United States government has invested over $31 million dollars for humanitarian mine action in Cambodia since 1993. The U.S. Department of State will provide $3 million more for mine clearance and mine risk education there in Fiscal Year 2004. This assistance and aid from other donor nations has helped to reduce Cambodia’s rate of casualties, restore mine-infested land to productive use and enabled displaced persons to return to their homes. But more remains to be done and so private contributions to Cambodia’s demining effort are welcomed.

To learn about the U.S. Department of State's humanitarian mine action programs and small arms and light weapons abatement efforts in Cambodia and other countries, visit www.state.gov/t/pm/wra.