OAS—AICMA and Mine-Risk Education in Nicaragua

Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Volume 13 Issue 1 The Journal of ERW and Mine Action Article 13

July 2009

OAS—AICMA and Mine-risk Education in Nicaragua

José Ramón Zepeda Organization of American States (OAS)

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Recommended Citation Zepeda, José Ramón (2009) "OAS—AICMA and Mine-risk Education in Nicaragua," The Journal of ERW and Mine Action : Vol. 13 : Iss. 1 , Article 13. Available at: https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/cisr-journal/vol13/iss1/13

This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Center for International Stabilization and Recovery at JMU Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction by an authorized editor of JMU Scholarly Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Zepeda: OAS—AICMA and Mine-risk Education in Nicaragua OAS–AICMA and Mine-risk Education MRE and Community Leader Involvement In Nicaragua In Risk-prone Colombia From 1979 to 1990, a violent internal conflict ravaged Nicaragua, leaving the country contaminated with The presence of unexploded ordnance and anti-personnel mines in regions of Colombia has displaced landmines and unexploded ordnance. To help minimize the number of victims within the country, the families and stirred up fear throughout the population. The Organization of American States’ Acción Integral Organization of American States’ mine-action program, Acción Integral contra las Minas Antipersonal, has contra las Minas Antipersonal program is bringing hope to these suffering communities by providing mine-risk been working with mine-risk-education campaigns to help educate and inform communities about landmines education to its leaders and through creative awareness programs in its school systems. and UXO.

by José Ramón Zepeda [ Organization of American States ]

he Organization of American States’ and destroy the threat. Identification and reg- Acción Integral contra las Minas Anti- istration of landmine victims that require T personal program implements mine- medical attention and/or prosthesis replace- risk-education campaigns as an immediate ments is also very important. These services response to the large number of mine-related are financed by AICMA under its landmine- accidents happening in high-risk communi- victim-assistance program. ties in Nicaragua, particularly in the northern The mine-awareness campaigns have been region of the country. The program focuses on deemed successful, thanks to the involvement of farmers that work near minefields. The cam- the program educators, community leaders and paign’s main objectives are promoting safe students who continue to participate in the “For a behavior and providing education on how to Nicaragua Free of Landmines” campaign. handle the landmine problem before and after See Endnotes, Page 112 demining activities have taken place. Special graphic displays urging people to AICMA team member conducts house-to-house mine-risk walk safely have been created with the assis- education in Jalapa, Nueva Segovia department, Nicaragua. tance of the National Demining Commission. PHOTO COURTESY OF PADCA–OEA, MANAGUA Additional educational tools, such as posters, notebooks, rulers, backpacks and bags, are Contest winners receive their prizes in printed and distributed among students, com- ceremonies held in the capital city. munity leaders and the at-risk population. It is The OAS–AICMA MRE program also uses important to notice that these tools are print- the radio as a tool to remind the population ed with images and language adapted for the about the landmine risk. Some of the cam- targeted community, using input from the lo- paigns include popular radio programs host- José Ramón Zepeda was born in Students learn about mine risks in their school in San Francisco, Antioquia department. cal leaders before producing large quantities. ed by program educators, which air early in Estelí, Nicaragua. He studied systems ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE AUTHORS The ongoing MRE campaigns focus on com- the morning before farmers head out to work engineering at Northern University munities living within a five-kilometer radi- their land. in Ocotal and became involved in mine action in 1999. Since then, he by Lina María Arias Rojas and Ginna Andrea Lozano Jiménez [ Organization of American States ] us (three miles) of minefields identified by the The immediate results of these MRE cam- has worked extensively on issues Nicaraguan Army and local farmers. paigns were the reduction of landmine acci- related to MRE in Nicaragua and Since this topic is so important for the af- dents among the at-risk population and the abroad. Zepeda currently serves n July 2008, the Organization of Ameri- prevention activities and promote the AICMA The beginning of clearance operations fected communities, OAS–AICMA designed continued involvement of the at-risk popu- as MRE Education Coordinator for can States’ Acción Integral contra las Minas campaign messages. Respected leaders from gives hope to displaced families of safely the OAS Mine Action Program in the campaigns for educators to visit each lation as volunteer educators themselves af- Antipersonal program began mine-risk ed- these communities, who are familiar with their returning to their homes and recovering their Jinotega and Nueva Segovia. I house and interact with the population, pro- ter undergoing training in local workshops. ucation activities in Colombia. Activities and community’s needs and environment, can better way of life. MRE advocates tell families what vide information to children in their class- These new volunteer educators help sus- José Ramón Zepeda campaigns are coordinated with Colombia’s Pro- educate at-risk families. After completing the to do when finding explosive artifacts on rooms and, in coordination with local leaders, tain awareness after program educators AICMA MRE Coordinator grama Presidencial de Acción Integral contra las required OAS–AICMA training, these leaders countryside footpaths, near their houses or provide the information in popular gather- have visited the communities. Organization of American States Minas Antipersonal, (PPAICMA, Presidential become mine-risk-education advocates. around their plots or schools. De la Iglesia El Carmen 1c. abajo Program for Mine Action). The first OAS–AICMA These AICMA advocates visit the country- In each municipality with ongoing MRE ing places like churches, municipal fairs and Following the conflict in Nicaragua during Reparto El Carmen 1 meetings. OAS–AICMA finds that this ap- the 1980s, there were many unmarked land- Managua / Nicaragua campaigns were designed to complement emer- side around mined areas under emergency programs, the student population is mindfully proach yields better results than other meth- mine fields in the country, as well as areas lit- Tel: +505 2266-0465 or gency clearance operations covering the popu- clearance to educate the population on preven- included. AICMA advocates bring their ods it has tried. tered with unexploded ordnance. The MRE +505 2222 6867 lation in the municipality of San Francisco in tion measures while learning from the people’s campaign messages to schools using playful Fax: +505 2266 0584 campaigns have played an important role in Antioquia and displaced families around the lo- experiences. The inhabitants tell of their pain, activities that increase interest and creativity While engaging in these MRE pro- E-mail: [email protected] grams, students participate in painting, compiling information about the location of cality of Bajo Grande, Bolivar department.1 hopelessness and anxiety caused by armed among children and adolescents, resulting singing and poetry contests, which allow landmines and UXO. MRE messages tell the An important step in beginning MRE conflict in their region, which has forced them in improvements that are incorporated into the educators to assess whether the mes- locals to report landmines and UXO to the au- activities was selecting community leaders in to abandon their plots, homes, and in certain future programs throughout the different sage is understood by the participants. thorities so the Nicaraguan Army can remove each of the target zones who could carry out cases, their entire communities. communities. The campaign also uses games,