Thank you so much to everyone who's sponsored me. It's really great. Just one day to go!

I first met Mines Advisory Group when I was in Iraq in 2007, who were helping displaced people return home to areas previously littered with mines from the Iran-Iraq war and from Saddam's army who were trying to obliterate the Kurdish people.

I'm going to abseil down Battersea Power Station on 2 May to help MAG carry on doing what they do to make the world safer for the kids who deserve a childhood free from mines and explosives. So, please help me help them.

MAG works to save lives by clearing miles and miles of land of mines and other explosive devices. It's one thing to have areas staked out with warnings, but children need to be taught why they need to avoid these areas. And wouldn't it just be better if kids could just be kids and run around freely? So sponsor me now to help make this happen.

But Iraq is not the only place where MAG's expertise is needed... 

MAG has been in Iraq since 1992 and, to date, they have cleared over one and a half million landmines and unexploded ordnance and several million square metres of land. I saw uncleared minefields, with their small black distinctive skull and crossbones. And I saw cleared land where farmers could now roam free with their goats and long-eared sheep (see photo).  Now there is emerging stability for the first time in some families' living memory. MAG continues to work with local people, to teach them about how to help make their homes safe.  And MAG's work helps support peace-building initiatives aiming to build long-term stability in Iraq and the region. So that maybe one day a whole generation can live without experiencing conflict.  

MAG also works in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where they not only clear areas of mines, so that people can have access to water, agriculture and transit once more, but they also destroy stockpiles of small arms and light weapons left over from the various conflicts between 1996 and 2004. These weapons continue to keep DRC in a state of fragility, with rebel groups still conducting vicious and brutal attacks on civilians. MAG's work contributes to international efforts to help give the Congolese people hope for a peaceful future.

And in Colombia, MAG is working in what is one of the most mine-affected countries in the world. MAG's efforts with the Colombian army started in just 2009, but has already launched a campaign 'Yo me protego' (I protect myself) to help those living with landmines planted over the last four decades of internal conflict, helping to reduce the shocking statistic of two people a day being hurt by landmines or unexploded ordnance.

Besides these three countries I've had the fortune to visit and care for the local people, MAG also currently works in Afghanistan, Angola, Burundi, Cambodia, Chad, Republic of Congo, Gaza, Laos, Lebanon, Pakistan, Puntland (Somalia), Sri Lanka, Sudan and Vietnam.

 

Can you imagine not being able to walk through the valley to the nearest clean drinking water for fear of mines? Can you imagine not being able to walk to your grandparents' house for fear of stepping in the wrong place?

 

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Thanks for your time and your cold hard cash. You know you'll sleep better tonight, now.

Emily