By Theresa Aengenheyster | Project Leader
Several times a week, Viktoria, an
explosives risk expert at the alliance organization
of Aktion Deutschland Hilft, Handicap International,
holds so-called CPP and EORE courses for Ukrainian
school classes in Chernivtsi, Vinnytsia, Poltava
and Dnipro. Behind these rather cryptic abbreviations
lies life-saving knowledge for children in war
zones. It's about nothing less than dealing with
mines, booby traps and the right behavior in an emergency.
Ukraine is now one of the most heavily munitions
contaminated places in the world. Not least because
there has been fighting here since 2014. "The children
usually already know something about the subject from
television, from their parents or from the Internet,"
explains Viktoria. "But they often have wrong or incomplete
information, so we teach them the right behavior. We show
the children what mines look like and tell them where to
find them - in trenches or on bases, in destroyed
buildings, on empty fields, in forests, on highways.
All of these places can be contaminated."
Mines in Ukraine: Children are more at risk
Children who are unaware that they should avoid such
places are at ongoing risk. Statistically, their
lives are far more likely to be in danger than adults
in former and active war zones because children love
to explore and touch everything they see. In the case
of mines and booby traps, however, curiosity can have
fatal consequences.
"Sometimes ordnance can be camouflaged or hidden in other
objects," says Viktoria. "In the Donetsk region, we have
seen explosive devices in toys, books and even mobile phones.
For example, if I ask children: 'If you see an iPhone on
the street, do you pick it up?' They usually say: 'Yes!'
That's what you need to avoid. The kids need to understand
that in war zones, everything is potentially dangerous."
"One move can kill"
Even if the war ended today, it would take over 100 years
to successfully clear Ukraine of mines. Generations will
be confronted with the consequences of war.
Viktoria and her colleagues are not discouraged by this:
"I do this work because I want to protect people from danger.
I used to work as a deminer and experienced a lot in the
process. A single wrong move can kill, so I want more and
educate more people in Ukraine about these dangers - and I
will continue to do so."
Our alliance helps people from Ukraine: in the country itself,
at all stages of their refuge and in the countries where
they seek protection.
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