Symposium on Cambodia and Landmines –
Overview and Accomplishments

 

For the 2003-04 school year, the Tenafly Middle School Landmine Awareness Club shifted its geographic focus to Cambodia and its service focus to assisting the rehabilitation of Cambodian landmine survivors, while continuing its educational focus on educating Tenafly and surrounding communities about the global landmine problem.

Global Care’s educational initiative for the Tenafly Middle School student body and local community included organization and implementation of:

• a two-month unit of study about Cambodian culture, history and living standards within the 6th grade curriculum;
• presentations by the TMS Landmine Awareness Club;
• gradewide assemblies by Martha Hathaway of Clear Path International about its vocational rehabilitation program in Cambodia;
• a photographic display showing the impact of landmines on Cambodia;
• a whole-school screening of the award-winning PBS documentary, “The Flute Player,” and a live keynote address by the subject of the film, Cambodian genocide survivor and Reebok Human Rights Award winner, Arn Chorn-Pond.

 

To educate youth in surrounding communities, the TMS Landmine Awareness Club delivered landmine presentations in numerous New Jersey towns (Maplewood, Paramus, Ridgewood, Teaneck and Vernon), while Global Care organized and hosted a youth leadership landmine conference entitled, “Healing the Wounds of War and Landmines: Empowering Youth Leadership in Confronting the Global Landmine Crisis,” featuring presentations by landmine activists and experts and distribution of a teacher guidebook for conducting a mine action initiative written by Mark Hyman. 

Click here for a Calendar of Presentations, Speakers and Special Events.
Click here to see the Kickoff program for the Symposium.
Click here to read an article about Arn Chorn-Pond’s extraordinary presentation.
Click here for photos of presentations by the TMS Landmine Awareness Club.

For its service focus, Global Care raised $11,000 toward the vocational rehabilitation of 105 Cambodian landmine survivors through Global Care’s Symposium partners, Clear Path International and Cambodian Volunteers for Community Development.  The CPI-CVCD vocational rehabilitation program provides classes and hands-on training in English, sewing, computer data entry, computer repair, small-engine
repair (mechanics) and appliance repair (electronics) aimed at empowering landmine survivors with the skills to begin their own businesses and reengage in their communities.

Click here to learn about the benefits of Global Care’s $11,000 donation for landmine rehabilitation, as well as to read inspiring stories of specific program recipients.