01.25.10 | Vision for Vietnam—MINES TO VINES™
Roots of Peace DEMINE/REPLANT program expands to Vietnam.
Friends of Hue Foundation brings “heart” to landmine issue in February 2010.
January 25, 2010
Vision for Vietnam—MINES TO VINES™
Roots of Peace has received an anonymous donation of $400,000 to expand our efforts towards replicating our DEMINE/REPLANT model in Vietnam. A feasibility study was conducted in 2009, and an additional $100,000 was awarded to Roots of Peace by The Skoll Foundation.
Vietnamese Farmer Cultivating Rice Paddy.
According to Newsweek magazine and a U.S. Department of State map issued in 2002, Vietnam remains contaminated by the legacy of landmines and unexploded ordnance since the near-continuous state of war from the early 1950’s until the late 1970’s. While tourism begins to thrive along the coastal areas, there remains a tremendous need for landmines to be removed in rural areas where Vietnamese farmers seek sustainable agricultural lands and environmental security.
Landmines hold the land hostage long after the guns are silenced, and threaten the footsteps of small children who play in the mine-riddled jungles.
Typical Rural Vietnamese Farm.
There are an estimated 3.5 million landmines and 300,000 tons (272 million kilograms) of unexploded ordnance (UXO) in the country. The most mine-affected region is the Quang Tri province, which contains the former border between North and South Vietnam. Vietnam suffers an estimated 2,000 casualties a year from landmines and has one of the world’s highest concentrations of amputees as a result. While demining has continued, Roots of Peace aims to replace this legacy of war with a harvest of agricultural crops benefiting the proud farmers of Vietnam.
Tucker Kühn and Vietnamese Children in the rural highland village of Khe Sanh.
Roots of Peace plans to expand their program into Vietnam, as we turn former minefields into bountiful fields of cocao—turning MINES TO CHOCOLATES™!
Our organization is honored to work in partnership with the Friends of Hue Foundation and the University of the Pacific Global Center for Social Entrepreneurship, as we continue to turn our ideas into reality. Heidi Kühn, Roots of Peace Founder/CEO, and member of the UoP Global Center Advisory Board, will serve as keynote speaker at their 10th Anniversary on February 7, 2010.
Click HERE to view the Friends of Hue Foundation website.
Click HERE to view the Friends of Hue Foundation Charity Gala keynote speaker invitation.
Gary Kühn standing by unexploded ordnance (UXO)—tons of
bombs are a legacy of war.
Tucker Kühn and Dr. Ken Neils at marketplace in Hue, Vietnam.