VMA-KUKES:  MINE ACTION – MINE RISK EDUCATION
VMA - KUKES, Hotel "Gjalica", Kati.II; Kukes, ALBANIA
Tel/Fax:  +355 (0)24 24006; Mobil: +355 (0)682070905; E-mail: kukesi@albmail.com; admin@vma-kukes.org
NAME OF PROGRAM:
MINE ACTION – MINE RISK EDUCATION
NAME OF PROJECT:
MINE RISK EDUCATION IN NORTHEAST ALBANIA
Brief History of Project:  

VMA-Kukes is conducting Mine Risk Education since 2001 with the support of US Dept of States and
Unicef Albania to keep mine affected community members in 39 villages continuously informed about
mine & UXO thread through 39 anti-mine local based comities established in 39 villages with
membership from the affected communities consisting of: village leader, nurse, a teacher and Peace
Activist from school youth representative/president of governments of pupils of the village school.

These comities supported by VMA team, organize regular meetings with their communities to
disseminate MRE information. The VMA team supports them regularly with MRE media materials
including posters, booklets and leaflets.

VMA MRE field team helps Peace Activist and Government of Pupils of schools of mine affected areas
to plan and organize school based activities related to MRE consisting of : competitions among classes
for the best poster, leaflet, song, etc against mine threat, including role plays, and  information about
mine fields, mine signs, environment issues, violence & participation of women. A mobile theatre with
comedians travels regularly from village to village to disseminate safety messages through comedies and
parodies.
THE MAIN PROJECT ACTIVITIES FOR 2007:

  1. Prepare and install Marking Tables with updated information about mine fields and mine threat in the
    remaining mine affected areas
  2. Conduct Survey Assessment (post clearance review) with communities of villages where   cleared areas have
    been handed over for re-use.  
  3. Organize regular interactive extra-curricular MRE activities in schools of mine affected areas
  4. Conduct training of AMC/School teachers /Gov of pupils
  5. Preparation , publication and distribution of MRE media materials, (leaflets, calendars, lighters, pens, blouses,
    posters, photo album etc) with information messages
  6. Prepare publish and distribute be-monthly Newspaper with MRE messages
  7. Organize Radio program for mine affected areas 2 times/month
  8. Disseminate MRE messages through Mobile theatre  performance
  9. Conduct Community Liaison activities mainly to inform the communities about clearance
  10. Organize community activities during and after hand over ceremonies of cleared lands

CURRENT ACHIEVEMENTS

During January- September 2007 the following activities have been conducted:

82 field visits by MRE field monitors to conduct 170 MRE activities in total in 22 mine affected villages and 16      
schools as follows:

74  MRE sessions/meetings with school children and the village community,
27 public MRE demonstration meetings during handover ceremonies
59 MRE extracurricular school activities conducted about best poster/verse
5 post clearance activities conducted
1 Workshop with anti-mine comities organized
1500 Teen newspapers produced , published and distributed
3 Radio programs about mine affected communities prepared and broadcasted

Distributed media materials as follows:
950 leaflets MRE leaflets distributed to 22 villages
800 MRE UNICEF booklets distributed in 39 visited  villages
100 MRE Photo Albums
960 MRE visible Materials like T shirts, calendars, pens, and lighters) to  17,000 community members
and 4000 school children
Disseminate MRE messages through a mobile theatre in 6 mine villages & schools
Mobile theatre performances attended by 2,500 school pupils and 6,500 community members

Project Impact:
13,000 mine affected communities and 4000 school children kept informed about mines/UXO threat
Reduced accidents from mines/UXOs to 0 in project areas (Kukes, Has and Tropoje), Victims registered
in the project area: 191- 1999;  35 - 2000, 7-  2001; 8 - 2002; 4 - 2003;  25 - 2004.  2 - 2005; 0 -
2006, 0 - 2007
Increased knowledge of 4,000 school children and 13,000 community members in 22 mines affected
about the danger of mines and mine affected areas
Behavior change of about 4000 school children and 13,000 communities living in mine affected areas.
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