Roughly every 22 minutes someone is killed or maimed by a landmine. That amounts to more than 20,000 men, women and children each year injured through no fault of their own. The number of victims has been portrayed in terms of shocking ratios, i.e., one in every 230 Cambodians is an amputee from a landmine injury, one in every 330 Angolans, etc. In truth, no one knows the exact numbers. Most mine victims die without anyone documenting the tragedy.

Today, there are hundreds of thousands of landmine survivors worldwide, including thousands of children, with no access to proper and affordable medical care and rehabilitation. Moreover, the number of victims is on the rise with assistance programs unable to keep up with the demand.

Created by landmine survivors for landmine survivors, Landmine Survivors Network (LSN) works directly with those whose lives have been devastated by these cheap instruments of destruction. LSN helps landmine survivors find the assistance they need so that they can lead fuller, more productive lives.

The LSN does more than just help survivors. It is also a fierce advocate for the immediate removal of these barbaric tools of mutilation and horror. Today, LSN provides a strong world voice for those who never before had a voice, tenaciously petitioning governments and the public alike to stop the use of landmines.

The LSN works to help mine victims and their families recover through an integrated program of peer counseling, sports, and social and economic integration into their communities.

For more information on the LSN, write 1420 K Street, NW, #650, Washington, D.C. 20005. Call 202/464-0007 or visit the LSN Web site: www.landminesurvivors.org

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