Ms. Trần Thị Nữ, a resident of Phong Binh Commune, Gio Linh District was pleased to witness an all-women team from NPA/RENEW find and destroy wartime munitions in a clearance site located close to her house. Having lived in Tan Lich Village for almost forty years, she has encountered deadly explosives that remain from the past conflict many times during her daily farming.

“Every time we hear the clearance team use loudspeakers to announce their demolition, I feel relieved to know another potential danger to our villagers has been eliminated,” said the 70-year-old woman. Despite the risks, many families in Phong Binh Commune have farmed their land to grow rubber and other crops to generate income after the war. According to Quang Tri Mine Action Center, since 1975, Phong Binh Commune has experienced 120 accidents caused by cluster munitions and other explosive munitions.

After two months of operations in Tan Lich Village, the NPA/RENEW teams have cleared nearly 700,000 square meters of land. They have found and safely destroyed 87 cluster munitions and 136 other munitions. The teams plan to hand over the safe land to the local community by the end of June 2024. The critical work of NPA/RENEW will benefit 472 local people in the village, including 103 boys, 94 girls, 132 men, and 143 women.

We express our deepest gratitude to the governments of the United States and Norway for their continued support of this vital work. Together, we are making Quang Tri safe from the impact of explosive ordnance.