The Cope Center

2-24-10 Today, I crossed a threshold that probably changed my life. I visited the Cope Center here in Laos and learned firsthand of the fight against UXO’s. Visitors are only allowed in a museum where you can see and learn of all the different types of UXO’s. Also, there are photographs and stories posted of various victims of UXO’s.

I went on a museum tour given by a college student named Nahm. He told me that he was one of nine children in a rural family and lived on his own since he was 8 years old. The way he told his story, he made it sound like it was no big deal. So I asked him if it was common for children to leave their families at such a young age and he said yes. I cannot even fathom it. As a young boy, Nahm was able to take refuge in a monastery where he lived for several years as monk. He is the only one in his family to have finished high school.

As far as I know, monasteries don’t accept girls. So what happens to homeless girls? If they’re not sold by their families for money first, then I imagine they end up having to find other kinds of street work. Will have to do more research on this.

While at the Cope Center, I watch an excerpt from a recently made movie on the effort to clean UXO’s from Laos. It’s called “Bomb Harvest” and is a well-done documentary on the work of a bomb disposal group from and NGO called MAG (Mines Advisory Group) International. Call me crazy but I’d really like to go on one of these clean-up missions to see for myself how UXO’s are affecting Laotians.