Land mines aren’t hidden in the American landscape–but they still can hurt American kids. Farah A., 17, of Carol Stream was born in Afghanistan, and at 10 stepped on a land mine while walking to school there. She lost one leg and badly injured the other. Now she is the Youth Ambassador for Adopt-a-Minefield, an organization that works to clear land mines. Here’s what Farah says kids should know about land mines:
– There are more than 40 million land mines hidden in one-third of the world’s nations. “My country, Afghanistan, is one of the countries with the most land mines,” she says. “Just because I took a shortcut to school, I stepped on one of these mines.”
– Some land mines can last for decades: In Afghanistan, Farah says, “there are still land mines and people still get injured.”
– Land mines can cost as little as $3 to make, but $1,000 to remove safely.
– Not all land mine survivors have access to medical care. “I was in the hospital in Afghanistan for months, and that’s where [my right leg] got worse,” Farah says. “If there was good care, maybe my right leg would have been saved.”
– Many land mine victims are children. While hospitalized in Kabul, Farah remembers seeing many other kids who stepped on mines. “It changes their life,” she says.
– Recovery is painful. “Once you get injured, it’s so hard,” she says. “You need so much medical attention and help.”
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Want to learn more? Go to www.landmines.org.
