325 essays ¡ 2004 â 2021
Stories
Twenty-two years of field journals, photographs, and witness â from Lao villages cleared of unexploded ordnance, refugee work in Wisconsin, and everywhere in between.
2021 ¡ 1
2016 ¡ 6
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Sometimes we can quickly destroy UXO. But bombs found within a village take extensive planning. April 2 -
âMr. Magnetâ was a rarity: a self-trained, self-proclaimed village bomb expert who gave his trade a good name. March 31 -
Three Different Sites. Three Different Challenges. February 5 -
On A Cold Day, To Keep Myself Moving, I Check Hundreds Of Tree Stumps For UXO. Guess What I Found? February 2 -
President Obama Pledges Support For Increased Help To Laos But, Will Long-neglected Provinces Get Help? Theyâve Waited Over Forty Years January 31 -
Twenty-thousand killed or injured but millions live with fear. January 27
2015 ¡ 12
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Womenâs Day in Laos: Our interview with four female deminers who have put their lives at risk to keep others safe! March 8 -
We lose patience waiting for someone else to destroy a dangerous piece of ordnance. March 3 -
From the âVientiane Timesâ: UXO clearance workers laid off. March 2 -
Complete text of lengthy interview with parents of schoolgirl killed by old ordnance. March 1 -
Our de-miners give up a hard-earned day of rest in order to clear UXO from the garden where a young girl died. February 24 -
Dilemma of a tight schedule! We have more farms to clear of UXO than we can complete. Should we add the land where a girl died? Might another family be dropped? February 21 -
Twelve-year-old girl killed in garden by ordnance so old that it was dropped before her parents were born. February 19 -
We find bomblets that have been associated with many child fatalities. This video explains why the BLU 3-B is so dangerous. February 14 -
Ironically, when children have a close call with UXO we must ask them to immediately return to the site. This video is a tribute to children who walk in harmâs way to keep others safe. February 11 -
Five months after Nan was bitten she has not been restored to health February 7 -
Parents make their daughterâs treatment a priority. Even higher than securing their next rice crop February 3 -
Good news/bad news. Successful surgery but an uncertain future. February 2
2014 ¡ 26
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Half our annual budget is funded by selling Lao coffee. Everybody wins: the farmer, the coffee lover and, most importantly, the villagers who have their land cleared of UXO. December 4 -
Project Sekong 2014: People fear cluster bomblets but some self-appointed experts will attempt to harvest material from them. February 26 -
Project Sekong 2014: When humanitarian clearance is lacking, villagers sometimes put themselves at risk. February 25 -
Project Sekong 2014: In a land with many heartbreaks Lao children still have fun! February 18 -
Project Sekong 2014: We partner with the Lao Disabled Peoples Association to lead villagers to help in Pakse and Vientiane. February 17 -
Project Sekong 2014: A new employee with little experience around UXO forgets what might be underfoot! February 16 -
Project Sekong 2014: This is a land of rivers, streams and makeshift bridgesâsafe for a Lao hiker, unsafe for me! February 15 -
Project Sekong 2014: When a sturdier footbridge is needed villagers employ unique skills! February 15 -
Project Sekong 2014: Last night someone built a campfire over old ordnance. The device, hidden underground, heated up and exploded. February 14 -
Project Sekong 2014: Sometimes the guys lark about, boys in spirit if not in age. February 13 -
Project Sekong 2014: We visit farmers that we helped last year and are pleased to see how they are using their land. February 12 -
Project Sekong 2014: If our team misses an object the size of a walnut we could be setting the stage for a fatal accident. February 11 -
Project Sekong 2014: We can only carry so much into the field. We either âmake doâ or âdo withoutâ. February 10 -
Project Sekong 2014: Travelers who want to present a meaningful gift might consider reading glasses February 9 -
Project Sekong 2014: As we go about our everyday tasks, villagers go about theirs. This time of year people are collecting firewood. February 8 -
Project Sekong 2014: Our Team Leader must recognize ordnance in a myriad of forms: rusted, broken, decayed and more. February 7 -
Project Sekong 2014: Good boots are essential. Iâm taking back an earlier recommendation. February 6 -
Project Sekong 2014: We find tons of bomb fragments and other scrap. Thatâs not a figure of speech. Thatâs our reality February 4 -
Project Sekong 2014: For good reason most aid agencies forbid their vehicles from traveling after dark February 3 -
Project Sekong 2014: A generation ago, before help arrived, farmers removed or destroyed ordnance themselves. Some lived, some died. February 2 -
Project Sekong 2014: Cluster bombs endanger lives and hamper development. February 1 -
Project Sekong 2014: Sometimes the impulse to help collides with spiritual beliefs. January 31 -
Project Sekong 2014: Our new medic brings back old memories. January 30 -
Project Sekong 2014: It may be the dry season but the bugs are eating us alive! Especially on sites that will become fishponds. January 25 -
Project Sekong 2014: We donât pound a tent peg or build a fire until the camp is cleared of UXO. January 20 -
Project Sekong 2014: We end our first day with a truck missing but the next morning find it stuck in the mud! January 19
2013 ¡ 32
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News article reprinted from The Global Post: âUS Presses Laos Over Missing Activistâ May 10 -
Project Sekong 2013: The team needs shoes. Could it get more basic than that? April 27 -
Project Sekong 2013: Bomb sniffing dogs may return to Laos for another trial April 6 -
Project Sekong 2013: Before sheâll help us destroy a bomb, a girl makes us do her chores! April 4 -
Project Sekong 2013: Weâre Clearing Land So Villagers Can Dig Fishponds, An Important Source Of Protein April 2 -
Project Sekong 2013: Where We Work People Have No Surplus To Sell. The Closest Market Is An Hour Away March 30 -
Project Sekong 2013: If We Find Casings We Will Likely Find Cluster Bomblets March 28 -
Project Sekong 2013: Two Rules To Follow Here If You Want To Stay Healthy March 26 -
Project Sekong 2013: Our collection of cultural artifacts helps Lao refugee families connect with the past. We keep looking. March 24 -
Project Sekong 2013: Our Answers To The Most Commonly Asked Snake Questions: Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, and No. For The Questions, Read Below. March 20 -
Project Sekong 2013: Donât Count On The Police Here To Solve A Problem With Old Ordnance. People Are On Their Own! March 18 -
Project Phongsali 2013: Often, Women Who Lead Us To Ordnance Insist On Bringing Someone Else Along. March 16 -
Project Sekong 2013: We Clear Land. Villagers Plant More Coffee. We Sell Their Coffee. 100% Of The Profit Supports Our Work March 14 -
Project Sekong 2013: Unsolved mysteries at the Plain of Jars March 12 -
Project Sekong 2013: We Take Pleasure In Re-connecting Families March 10 -
Project Sekong 2013: Buddhist Temples And Monks March 8 -
From the Vientiane Times: âInterplast medical team reconstructing lives in Laosâ March 6 -
Project Sekong 2013: Nearly Half Of All Victims Are Intentionally Handling UXO March 4 -
Project Sekong 2013: This Time Of Year The Hills Are Aflame March 2 -
Project Sekong 2013: Lao Children Learn By Doing And Are Assigned Work At An Early Age. February 28 -
Project Sekong 2013: Leprosy, once known as Hansenâs Disease, can be cured but some fear the stigma so they delay treatment February 26 -
Project Sekong 2013: People Often Ask Us For Help Because Thereâs No Other Help To Be Found February 24 -
Project Sekong 2013: Two Different Approaches To Clearing Unexploded Ordnance February 20 -
Project Sekong 2013: Some pay a premium price for a lucky phone number. I just want one I can remember. February 18 -
Project Sekong 2013: Yai, our interpreter for seven years, finds a way to rejoin our team. ButâŚare we lucky to have him? February 16 -
Project Sekong 2013: Do We Share Our Camp With The Pigs Or Do They Share Their Home With Us? February 14 -
Project Sekong 2013: No Village Can Be A Healthy Village Without Clean Water February 12 -
Project Sekong 2013: Thank Goodness That For This Disfigured Man, Love Is Blind February 10 -
Project Sekong 2013: Hmong Are A People Of The Mountain Tops February 8 -
Project Sekong 2013: You Wonât Find Many Dolls In Lao Homes February 6 -
Project Sekong 2013: Weâre A Dry Season Project But People Need Help All Year February 5 -
Project Sekong 2013: A Young Accident Victim Gets To Personally Share His Story With Secretary Clinton February 1
2012 ¡ 44
- Project Sekong 2012: People living along the old HCM Trail continue to pay the price for a failed military strategy. October 16
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Project Sekong 2012: To make certain proper procedures are followed, government staff inspects our project. October 15 -
Project Sekong 2012: Teachers so value the new books that we have to admonish them: âItâs alright if students wear them out!â March 19 -
Project Sekong 2012: With children in tow, Lao women work hard and often set the pace. March 18 -
Project Sekong 2012: How hard are villagers willing to work? These photos tell it all! March 17 -
Project Sekong 2012: Packinâ for action. Stretcher? Check! Tourniquets? Check! Coffee? Whaaa? Whereâs the coffee? March 16 -
Project Sekong 2012: When we find bodies we work around them and rebury what weâve exposed March 15 -
Project Sekong 2012: Three more schools receive Book Box Libraries. Each library contains 200 books in the Lao language. March 10 -
Project Sekong 2012: We deliver surplus medical supplies to hospitals and clinics. March 8 -
Project Sekong 2012: Meet our team. Youa Xiong Vue, deminer and ethnic Hmong. March 4 -
Project Sekong 2012: Our village has little surplus food, therefore thereâs no food market. Villagers forage and hunt on our behalf. March 3 -
Project Sekong 2012: Meet our team. Pang Xi sends her hard-earned pay home to mother. March 1 -
Project Sekong 2012: Our new challenge is finding clean drinking and cooking water for camp. February 25 -
Project Sekong 2012: Meet our team. Chan Mai Vue, Hmong deminer from Bolikhamxai. Hard worker. Big eater. February 24 -
Project Sekong 2012: Work is going slow. Weâre finding cluster bomblets but also shrapnel by the bucketful. February 23 -
Project Sekong 2012: Meet our team. âKikâ proves women just as capable as men when working with bombs and landmines. February 21 -
Project Sekong 2012: We interrupt our âarea clearanceâ to respond immediately to villagers who have found bomblets. February 20 -
Project Sekong 2012: Will two rice crops a year mean double the work for women who pound and winnow the grain? February 19 -
April 4 is Landmine Awareness Day. Letâs remember Lao victims and resolve to rid the world of these weapons. February 18 -
Project Sekong 2012: Meet our team. Dao Vieng: driver, master mechanic, waits for the explosion that we all dread. February 17 -
Project Sekong 2012: It could be that our truck has been down the Ho Chi Minh Trail before. This workhorse makes our project possible. February 16 -
Project Sekong 2012: Occasionally, as we dig we find bodies of soldiers. But we need to continue our search for ordnance. February 16 -
Project Sekong 2012: The cold doesnât keep us from work when workâs the only way to stay warm. February 15 -
Project Sekong 2012: Meet more of our team. Bounphasith Xayavong (âYaiâ) is our interpreter. February 14 -
Project Sekong 2012: We get homesick. We get hungry. Now weâre getting eaten alive by a bug the Lao call the âmandanâ. February 13 -
Project Sekong 2012: Meet our team, starting with Chomrong Koy our Team Leader February 12 -
Project Sekong 2012: Few jobs are as challenging as dealing with a huge bomb in a village cemetery. February 10 -
Project Sekong 2012: Two boys each cross paths with a bombie. February 9 -
Project Sekong 2012: The Lao government posts a roving team in Sekong Province to destroy newly found UXO. February 8 -
Project Sekong 2012: Fishponds offer hope for improved diet. February 7 -
Project Sekong 2012: Villages move closer to doubling their rice crop. The paths of the new irrigation ditches are cleared of UXO. February 6 -
Project Sekong 2012: We have five different ethnic groups in camp and no agreement on favorite foods or how to coexist with pigs. February 5 -
Project Sekong 2012: Some of the refuse of war that we find is safe for villagers to recycle into things useful around the farm. February 4 -
Project Sekong 2012: Mother killed attempting to expand garden. February 4 -
Project Sekong 2012: Hats off to the Dutch! Surgeons from the Netherlands perform reconstructive surgeries. February 3 -
Project Sekong 2012: CARE, our partner, has the livelihood projects well organized and we get good cooperation from villagers. We thank our lucky stars! February 2 -
Project Sekong 2012: Must we find bombs before we declare land safe? No. And furthermore, we hope we donât find a thing! February 1 -
Project Sekong 2012: Another day passes and the girl with the broken arm still waits for help. January 31 -
Project Sekong 2012: After a tree fell on the girl, it took more than a day for her family to reach help. January 30 -
Project Sekong 2012: Villagers dream of better lives. CARE will provide resources. Weâll remove UXO that has stalled progress. January 29 -
Project Sekong 2012: We include women on a team to help advance their careers, but having a mixed team can create complications. January 28 -
Project Sekong 2012: Weâre living among subsistence farmers who have no surplus food to sell. January 27 -
Project Sekong 2012: Weâre caught off guard. Pigs raid our camp and eat our food but we fight back. January 26 -
Project Sekong 2012: Itâs a slow journey to reach Sekong Province. We make some packing mistakes and have a mess to clean up. January 25
2011 ¡ 57
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November 2011 Newsletter November 16 -
Nestle markets coffee creamer to illiterate mothers who mistake it for infant formula. September 8 -
Nestle is in the news again and the news is not good! September 8 -
Road crew left villagersâ lives at risk. This video shows how WHWV came to their aid. August 31 -
âDonât bring that here!â This video shows our response the day a villager hand-delivered a bomblet August 25 -
Why would a man once injured by a cluster bomb pick up another? One brick short of a load? August 25 -
To improve nutrition Lao government promotes insect farming and consumption. August 24 -
Vientiane restaurant wins competition for best recipe using insect protein as main ingredient. August 24 -
From the Wausau Daily Herald: âBomb removal activist joins forces with seventh-graderâ June 18 - The Guardian:WikiLeaks cables: Secret deal let Americans sidestep cluster bomb ban May 23
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Bangkok Post: Many Hmong refugees from Wat Tham Krabok will remember Phra Gordon, âthe black monkâ. April 24 -
Project Phongsali 2011: Of necessity, villagers turn to local experts who make bombs safe (and sometimes turn a profit.) March 18 -
Project Phongsali 2011: I take a six year oldâs approach. âIâve never eaten a lizard because I know I wonât like itâ. March 17 -
Project Phongsali 2011: Equipment rumbles through town known to have bombs. Children dig in uncleared soil. March 16 -
Project Phongsali 2011: Road construction unearths bombs and feeds a black market in explosives and scrap. March 15 -
Project Phongsali 2011: A bomblet too dangerous to move. We had to destroy it right there in the middle of the village. But first⌠March 14 -
Project Phongsali 2011: At school event we count participants from eighteen different ethnic groups. March 13 -
Project Phongsali 2011: We need cooperation. When a demolition is delayed people are at risk. March 12 -
Project Phongsali 2011: In response to our report of childrenâs deaths, doctors conduct an emergency clinic. March 11 -
Project Phongsali 2011: Among children killed or injured by ordnance, far more victims are boys. What is it about boys? March 10 -
From the KPL Lao News Agency: In spite of tragedy at home, Japan continues to support UXO removal in Laos. March 9 -
Project Phongsali 2011: Our student correspondent triggered the demolition that destroyed four bomblets, but a fifth appeared. March 9 -
Vientiane Times: âUXO a daily threat to rural familiesâ March 9 -
Project Phongsali 2011: Sometimes we interrupt our glamorous lifestyle to do mundane tasks. March 8 -
Project Phongsali 2011: Man tries to open rocket, then wisely decides itâs not such a good idea after all. March 7 -
Project Phongsali 2011: Our student correspondent reports on his schoolâs support for our work in Laos. March 6 -
Project Phongsali 2011: Correspondents from D.C. Everest Middle School will help us connect with students and staff. March 5 -
Project Phongsali 2011: Illness hits children especially hard. With no medicine villagers rely on spirit ceremony alone. March 4 -
Project Phongsali 2011: In one small village four children have recently died. Not bombs⌠illness. But what illness? March 3 -
Project Phongsali 2011: When clearing a schoolyard weâd rather be thorough than efficient. March 2 -
Project Phongsali 2011: The victims we help are people with families, jobs, hopes, dreams, skills and interests. Meet Mr. Bouncham: beekeeper. March 1 -
Project Phongsali 2011: Construction company uncovers bomblets, uses contaminated soil for fill, and then tells landowner to live with the hazard. February 28 -
Project Phongsali 2011: The photos tell it all. Company builds road without first clearing bombs! February 27 -
Project Phongsali 2011: We go where UXO threatens people even if it means a day-long hike. February 26 -
Project Phongsali 2011: The UXO that people want us to remove are large bombs. 500, 750 and even 2,000 pounders. February 25 -
Project Phongsali 2011: A man hand-delivers UXO that he wants to trade. And⌠to the wrong house. Not the kind of help we need. February 24 -
Project Phongsali 2011: Takes a licking, keeps on ticking? No. Our equipment requires TLC. February 23 -
Project Phongsali 2011: Clink! A young mother finds a bomblet by accidentally whacking it with her machete. February 22 -
Project Phongsali 2011: The more we look, the more we find. February 21 -
Project Phongsali 2011: U.S. bomb data maps are an incomplete but essential source of information. February 20 -
Project Phongsali 2011: Our team, now at full strength, follows villagers to ordnance. February 19 -
Project Phongsali 2011: Muang May will be our base for now. February 18 -
Project Phongsali 2011: We teach children: âIf you donât know what it is, donât touch. It could be UXO.â February 17 -
Project Phongsali 2011: Some village âbomb expertsâ handle UXO for gain. Some take risks to keep others safe. February 16 -
Project Phongsali 2011: Teachers are thankful for Book Box Libraries. For the first time, students have reading books in their hands. February 15 -
Project Phongsali 2011: Sometimes challenges in Laos keep children from getting proper treatment. February 14 -
Project Phongsali 2011: School makes good use of land that we cleared last year. February 13 -
Project Phongsali 2011: We return to Sop Houn and share videos with villagers who helped make them February 12 -
Project Phongsali 2011: Road crews move soil about. Villagers find bombs and other ordnance. February 11 -
Project Phongsali 2011: We visit several locales to determine which villages we will serve this year. February 10 -
Project Phongsali 2011: We evaluate hospital services in the event that our team encounters accident victims. February 9 -
Project Phongsali 2011: Minor police corruption causes minor delay but weâre soon back on the road. February 8 -
Project Phongsali 2011: What happened to Pome? Why didnât he return for follow-up treatment? February 8 -
Project Phongsali 2011: Finally underway, we make slow time but enjoy sights and scenery. February 7 -
Project Phongsali 2011: Phongsali might not be the end of the world, but you can see it from there! February 6 -
Project Phongsali 2011: With transport secured, our team and equipment will soon head for Phongsali Province. February 5 -
Treatment technique for Lao children with clubfoot was pioneered by doctor in Iowa February 3
2010 ¡ 70
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The Guardian: âWikiLeaks cables- Secret deal let Americans sidestep cluster bomb banâ. December 18 -
Few options for Lao children born with birth defects. Fortunately there is hope at C.O.P.E December 14 -
Survivors discuss the death of their father, a victim of forty-year-old ordnance. December 12 -
Villagers explain why they risk their lives moving ordnance. December 10 -
December 2010 Newsletter November 29 - Vientiane Times: âTen Year Old Killed, Sister Injured in Cluster Bomb Tragedyâ November 12
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New Zealand Government Press Release: NZ will donate $1.1 million for Lao UXO removal November 10 -
âNoiâ, An elderly woman in Sop Houn has twice been wounded by American ordnance November 7 -
Vientiane Times: âSwitzerland makes generous donation for Lao UXO removalâ November 5 -
War claims victims long after the fighting stops. Three UXO clearance workers killed in Germany by WWII bomb. June 2 - Vietnam Magazine: Students Sell âLollies For Laosâ June 1
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May 2010 Newsletter May 6 -
Project Phongsali: Some random observations as we prepare to wrap up our work in this village. April 12 -
Project Phongsali: Far from home, we canât let missing tools or lack of supplies slow us down! April 11 -
Project Phongsali: In remote villages, for weeks or even months at a time, our tent is our âhome from homeâ. April 10 -
Project Phongsali: One village festival ends, another begins. All groups view the coming rainy season as a time of renewal. April 9 -
Project Phongsali: An injured man arrives in need of help. We have to turn him away because we lack supplies. April 8 -
Project Phongsali: It happens again! A villager carries ordnance into camp. April 7 -
Project Phongsali: We must think of creative ways to connect with all villagers. April 6 -
Project Phongsali: Elaborate preparations for a Tai Deng wedding. We learn a favorite recipe! April 5 -
Project Phongsali: Tai Deng villagers ask us to refrain from disturbing spirits during their annual festival. Out of respect, we comply. April 4 -
Project Phongsali: In the dead of night, someone walks off with six landmines. Who? Why? April 3 -
Project Phongsali: Yai steps up and is an advocate for villagers! April 2 -
Project Phongsali: Villagers work cooperatively to build a house. April 1 -
Project Phongsali: We seek help for the visually impaired, a long journey for people who have never traveled beyond their village. March 31 -
Project Phongsali: The 750 pound bomb we destroyed was one of 4,000,000 âbig bombsâ that the US dropped on Laos. March 30 -
Project Phongsali: In the spirit of âswords into plowsharesâ a local blacksmith turns bomb fragments into useful tools. March 29 -
We reprint a post from, âRamblingspoon.comâ. Hereâs Karen Coatesâ record of the food that our teamâs been eating. March 29 -
Film shows British concern over WW II cluster threat to civilians. U.S. knockoff of German bomb is still found in Laos today. March 28 -
Vientiane Times â âUXO survey reveals victim, accident figuresâ March 28 -
Project Phongsali: Visually impaired villagers donât know why they are losing their sight. WHWV will try to find them proper care. March 28 -
Project Phongsali: We find a big bomb in the center of the village but have to leave it for now. The demands of that job exceed our resources. March 27 -
Project Phongsali: Clearance continues. Every day we find and destroy mortars, rockets and cluster bombs. March 26 -
Project Phongsali: A cluster bomb near the school disappears overnight. Someone with strong feelings risked life and limb to make a point. March 25 -
Project Phongsali: We push on to clear the village schoolyard. Weâll resolve the issue of what to do with UXO if and when we find some. March 24 -
Project Phongsali: Village elders accept our working near a religious site, but ask us not to demolish UXO if found. A quandary that we must somehow resolve. March 23 - Project Phongsali: We are joined by two talented Americans. Check out their websites to learn more about Laos. March 22
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Project Phongsali: Our collection of cultural artifacts continues to grow. Some items may be difficult to bring to the USA. March 21 -
Project Phongsali: Teachers ask that we clear land for expansion of the school grounds. March 20 -
Project Phongsali: Villagers with disabilities continue to arrive in Sop Houn hoping that we can help. March 19 -
Project Phongsali: Bombs in tricky locations require careful planning and execution! March 18 -
Project Phongsali: How Lune became blind. Can anything be done? March 17 -
Kham, a future mechanical engineer? March 16 -
Project Phongsali: Village elders resist demolition of UXO found near a religious site. March 16 -
Project Phongsali: It sometimes happens. A villager carries ordnance into camp. March 15 -
Project Phongsali: Some villagers tamper with UXO in an attempt to harvest explosives. March 14 -
Project Phongsali: The guys on the team work hard, play hard. Sometimes too hard! March 13 -
Project Phongsali: Trying to destroy bombs without disturbing village events. March 12 -
Project Phongsali: As word spreads, more handicapped villagers seek help. March 11 -
Project Phongsali: During school visits we teach children to be safe around old ordnance. March 10 -
Project Phongsali: Villagers lead us to a 750 pound bomb. One of four million âbig bombsâ dropped on Laos. March 9 -
Project Phongsali: For some villagers demolitions are a frolic. For others, a fearsome event. March 8 -
Project Phongsali: At the moment food is scarce in Sop Houn and our team means nine more mouths to feed! March 6 -
Project Phongsali: We conduct our first demolition. A cluster bomb in the middle of the village is safely destroyed! March 5 -
Project Phongsali: Our full team is now in place! Weâll try to be respectful guests in Sop Houn. March 4 -
Project Phongsali: For children with club foot getting timely treatment is critical. March 3 -
Project Phongsali: Women in some villages are learning new skills and starting new industries. March 2 -
Project Phongsali: Villagers roam far from home in search of food and happen upon UXO In remote places. March 1 -
Project Phongsali: The village school is within lethal range of cluster munitions. The school was built on uncleared land! February 28 -
Project Phongsali: Animal encounters keep work interesting. Can anyone identify this snake? February 26 -
Project Phongsali: Villagers move ordnance in an effort to keep others safe. February 25 -
Project Phongsali: Every Lao village has a village chief, or ânaibanâ. February 23 - Project Phongsali: Days 15 to 21 February 22
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Project Phongsali: Villagers welcome us with food, drink, and unexploded ordnance. February 22 - Project Phongsali: Days 8 to 14 February 15
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Visiting Om in the Hospital â Lao families provide patient care in the hospitals. February 10 -
Project Phongsali: Days 1 to 7 February 8 -
Aspirations February 6 -
January 2010 Newsletter January 31 -
When fighting stops, the consequences of war go on. January 30
2009 ¡ 14
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We follow child scrap collectors. October 30 -
A conversation with grieving parents. September 30 -
Laotian Bomb Hunters September 2 -
Wisconsin Public Radio: Kathleen Dunn Interviews Jim Harris July 13 -
Partnering with COPE to help amputees. April 9 -
Ta, an accident victim assisted by WHWV, represents Laos in Oslo at the Cluster Munitions Treaty signing. March 23 -
Over 100 nations sign ban on cluster munitions. March 16 -
Surgeons rebuild a face. March 3 -
Noma: The face of poverty. February 27 - Boston Globe â âAmong the poorest, a lesser known scourge.â February 26
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Often it is a child who leads us to UXO. February 23 -
Refugees in Thailand face forced repatriation. February 15 -
Hansenâs Disease (leprosy) victims can be cured and spared suffering. February 9 -
Donations to WHWV.ORG Fund the work in Laos: Helping people victimized by war. January 30
2008 ¡ 23
- In These Times â âBan The Cluster Bombâ December 1
- Milwaukee Magazine: The Insider, âBombs Awayâ December 1
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Transporting patients to a hospital. October 30 -
Students at a Wisconsin school conduct service learning project and assist hospital patients. October 8 -
A boy rolls a bomb under Yaiâs bed. September 29 -
Bomb Fishing September 28 -
Performing simple daily tasks can cost you your life in Laos. September 18 -
New, more stable boats arrive. September 8 -
Parents lose two sons in separate accidents. September 4 -
Everyone knows that some kids will die collecting scrap. Everyone hopes it wonât be their child. August 27 -
Collecting scrap: a deadly trade. August 20 - USA continues search for remains of missing soldiers and airmen. August 14
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An entire village joins in the vigil as men search for a drowning victim. August 7 - Gourmet Magazine â âDanger Fieldsâ June 9
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Wisconsin Public Television introduces viewers to Jim Harris, retired school principal and founder of We Help War Victims. May 8 -
Too poor to pay for care, this man eventually lost his leg to snakebite infection. March 15 -
Not everyone considered Ta âlucky to be alive.â March 9 -
In Laos, there has never been a truly accurate count of UXO accident victims. March 3 -
A school gets itâs first âBook Boxâ library. Parents can also borrow books. February 20 - Movie filmed in Laos might spur interest in search for remains of MIA. February 14
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High mortality among infants with birth defects. Viengâs mother struggled to keep him alive. February 8 -
This eco-tourism leader was abducted in broad daylight. Still no word on his condition or whereabouts. February 1 -
At his motherâs request a boy collected UXO and carried bomblets home! January 27
2007 ¡ 10
- Heifer International: World Ark â âHeros of Humanityâ November 30
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Ten years in a Lao forced labor camp. September 15 -
I get bit by a scorpion and need help fast! August 29 -
Clearing ordnance on the old Ho Chi Minh Trail. August 25 -
Along the historic Ho Chi Minh Trail: people continue to live with deadly refuse of war. August 18 -
Itâs another rainy season. Weâve got work to do. Iâm glad to be back in Laos! August 7 -
Parents share facts about their sonâs death in hope of saving other childrenâs lives. February 3 -
Cultural Artifact Collection January 30 -
From Laos to America January 30 -
Unexploded Ordnance in Laos: A Deadly Legacy of War January 30
2006 ¡ 28
- Oudomsouk village is now a safer place. The 750 is finally gone! October 16
- How to identify the neediest of the many poor. October 15
- Partnering with COPE to help amputees. October 8
- Sometimes bombs end up in very odd places. October 2
- Martin the Elephant Man answers questions. September 25
- WHWV provides schools with their first books. September 18
- Wisconsin students sponsor surgery for a child with a birth defect. September 5
- Itâs the rainy season. Itâs hot, humid, and the road is a river of mud. August 22
- Caution! We brake for snakes! August 7
- Food from the sky. August 3
- Villagers risk their lives harvesting scrap. July 20
- Four-year-old Noi mistakes a bomblet for fruit. July 8
- Mother of three killed by cluster bomb. June 18
- The monk who beaned Saytavin with a rock. June 1
- Paul suggested that I take cover in the bucket of the steam shovel. May 25
- Thereâs no satisfaction in chewing someone out through an interpreter. May 17
- Oudomsouk has something you donât find in many American towns. May 8
- Pi Mai: Buddhist New Year. April 21
- In the forest with Martin the Elephant Man. April 20
- This job may have ruined my language for life. April 18
- Learning from my mentor. April 13
- So what exactly was I thinking? April 13
- Our teammates survive a bus accident in Nakai. April 10
- Ants attack me. I attack ants. I didnât know their eggs are considered a delicacy. April 8
- My education in Lao ways continues. March 28
- I probably had it coming. March 25
- If you canât run with the big dogs⌠March 23
- Setting up our first camp in Nakai. March 18