Afghanistan's adopt a-minefield campaign most successful in the world
Islamabad (Office of the United Nations
Co-ordinator for Afghanistan), 2 Jul 2001 - "The Adopt-A-Minefield
Campaign in Afghanistan has been the most successful in the world,"
said Oren Schlein, Executive Director of the Adopt-A-Minefield Campaign.
Schlein arrived in Islamabad on 28 June.
Adopt-A-Minefield, a campaign of the
United Nations Association of the USA, raises funds for mine clearance
and survivor assistance programs and raises awareness about the landmine
problem.
So far, Adopt-A-Minefield has raised over $620,000 in funds to clear 22 sites in Afghanistan. These adoptions represent the efforts of community groups, high-end donors and businesses, foundations, and the U.S. Department of State. The community groups spent on average four months raising funds in their local commu-nities among up to 500 people each and dozens of community-based organisations, including civic clubs, relig-ious organisations, and schools. Part of each fundraising campaign included public awareness projects to raise consciousness among donor communities about the landmine problem.
Schlein will travel to Afghanistan on 3 July, where he will spend almost two weeks visiting four re-gional mine action centres to review the Adopt-A-Minefield Campaign in Afghanistan. Since most funding for mine action comes from governments, Schlein noted that the Adopt-A-Minefield Campaign is a very significant source of non-governmental funding. Since its launch in March 1999, the campaign has raised $3.5 million for demining. Individuals, com-munity groups, and businesses at an average cost of between $25,000 to $30,000 have adopted more than 90 minefields in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, Croatia, and Mozambique. Over 20,000 people have participated in Adopt-A-Minefield around the world.
The campaign seeks national and
international sponsors to adopt minefields that the United Nations has
identified as being in urgent need of clearance. Sponsors raise funds in
their communities to clear their adopted minefields and return land to
productive use. The cost of clearing these areas ranges from thousands
to millions of dollars, depending on the size and type of minefield and
the complexity of the demining task. Sponsors may adopt entire minefields
(typically between $25,000 and $40,000) or contribute smaller amounts (as
little as $5), which are pooled with other contributions. Ted Turner's
Better World Fund provides Adopt-A-Minefield with a 25-cent match for every
dollar raised, which pays for the administrative and programming costs
of the Campaign. This arrangement makes it possible for Adopt-A-Minefield
to forward every dollar raised to the United Nations for mine clearance.
In June 2001, Adopt-A-Minefield hosted its first annual benefit dinner
in Los Angeles. The event, which was hosted by Heather Mills and
Paul McCartney, raised $500,000 for the campaign. The Adopt-A-Minefield
Humanitarian Award was presented to Radosav ika ivkovi, a landmine
survivor from Bosnia and Herzegovina who runs one of his country's three
demining NGOs.
The evening concluded with a perform-ance by Paul McCartney and Paul Simon.
On November 30, 2001, the Canadian Landmine Foundation and the United Nations
Association of the USA are combining their efforts to launch the Night
of a Thousand Dinners (N1KD) initiative to benefit the Adopt-A-Minefield
Campaign. N1KD will involve thousands of people around the world in the
common goal of raising funds for mine action projects, including specifically
mine clearance, survivor assistance, and mine awareness activities. These
dinners will be a mix of intimate gatherings, flamboyant galas, potlucks
and catered events. To date, over 400 groups have offered to host dinners
in 35 countries. Schlein received his law degree from the Boston University
School of Law, and a Bachelor of Arts de-gree in international relations,
with a specialisation in Chinese studies, from Johns Hopkins University.
Prior to running Adopt-A-Minefield, Mr. Schlein directed a UN Procurement
program, which instructed small and me-dium-sized companies on how to do
business with the United Nations. He has also worked as an attorney
in New Zealand and Hong Kong, with the United Nations Centre for Human
Rights in Geneva and with ABC News.
For more information, please contact: Stephanie Bunker, Public Information Officer and Spokesperson, Office of the United Nations Co-ordinator for Afghanistan 92 51 2211451 x415; mobile 0320 4261325451