CONTACT: Amy Lynn O'Toole or Cynthia Glocker, 404-681-4579, ext. 383/453

ATLANTA (September 20, 1999) - CARE today announced the launch of a new community mine awareness campaign (CMA) to educate people living in Kosovo about the dangers of land mines. With the number of land mines far greater than initially believed - it will take an estimated five years to clear only 70 percent of them - it is imperative that Kosovars learn to live safely amidst the threat of land mines.

To complement its de-mining activities, CARE is assembling two community mine awareness teams - each consisting of an awareness trainer and a driver/interpreter - to educate communities on how to identify and react to land mines, how to mark suspicious objects and how to report mine information to the appropriate officials.

"For most of us, one false step doesn't result in a loss of limbs, or worse," observes Bob MacPherson, of CARE's Emergency Group. "For Kosovars, it does. Putting just one foot in the wrong place can mean losing your foot, your leg, even your life."

Over half of the known minefields in Kosovo fall within CARE's designated area of responsibility - a 50-mile stretch from Mitrovica in the north to Urosevac/Ferizaj in the south. CARE's programs will improve safety for more than 500,000 Kosovars living in the region. Currently the largest contributor to the de-mining effort in Kosovo, CARE is clearing the areas most concentrated with mines first while simultaneously conducting awareness training throughout Kosovo.

"Our mine action program is innovative in the sense that it's holistically linked to our other CARE programs in Kosovo, such as emergency shelter, agriculture and health," explains MacPherson. "The community mine awareness workers will be coordinating with other program staff to provide the education necessary for operations to continue as safely as possible."

The awareness program, initially expected to run for 12 months, will foster community participation by engaging local leaders in decision making and community outreach. Eventually, community volunteers will be trained as local mine awareness trainers to ensure the program's sustainability and broaden its scope to include neighboring villages.

"Mines can only be removed one at a time," notes MacPherson, who has recently returned from Kosovo. "So until they can be eradicated, CARE is helping Kosovars achieve as much security as possible in a dangerous environment. We will be empowering communities to assume responsibility for their own safety and well-being."

ABOUT CARE
CARE is one of the world's largest relief and development organizations responding to the complex problem of reducing global poverty. CARE works in more than 60 countries worldwide and in 1998, helped improve the lives of more than 35 million people in Asia, Africa, Europe and Latin America.

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