Quang Ngai Province (27 Feb 2020) — On Thursday, in Quang Ngai City, representatives of Project RENEW and Quang Ngai Provincial Red Cross signed a Memorandum of Agreement on implementation of mine risk education to reduce the impact of Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) in the period of 2020-2021 with the funding of Irish Aid.

The signing ceremony occurred in the context that Quang Ngai, despite being one of the 17 most-affected provinces by UXO, hasn’t received international assistance to deal with the war consequences.

Vietnam National Mine Action Center (VNMAC) reports that a landmine impact survey carried out in 2008 indicated that 2,933 square kilometers of Quang Ngai Province were UXO contaminated.  UXO has killed and injured 2,932 people in Quang Ngai since the war ended in 1975.

Based on the results of the cooperation in 2018-2019, Project RENEW will continue helping Quang Ngai Red Cross sustain the community reporting network in project communes and organize risk education sessions to raise people’s awareness of UXO and provide children and adults with safe behavior guidance.

Additionally, Project RENEW will help Quang Ngai Red Cross to implement physical rehabilitation and income generation activities for UXO victims.

Project RENEW was established in 2001 as a joint effort between the government of Quang Tri Province and interested INGOs to “restore the environment and neutralize the effects of the war” – with the main focus on unexploded ordinance.