COPE Visitor's Center and UXO

Yesterday, my supervisor Ken suggested I go to the COPEVisitor Center so that I would better understand the UXO problem in Laos. This is the nice part about working at the Embassy; I got a car and driver to take me over there in the afternoon.

The COPE Center (Cooperative Orthotic and Prosthetic Enterprise,) provides prosthetics and rehabilitation services for UXO (unexploded ordinance) survivors and others with disabilities in Laos. The visitor’s center explains the history, has documentaries and videos, and shows what services COPE provides.

The picture below shows some of the facts about UXOs. Basically, during the Vietnam War, a large amount of Laos was bombed by the U.S., even though they were technically neutral during the war. Laos had a supply route on the Ho Chi Minh trail, and the U.S. dropped these cluster bombs all over Laos. When the planes couldn’t make their targets in Vietnam, they would drop the bombs over Laos.

The problem is that 30% of these bombs never exploded, and those unexploded ordnances (UXOs) are still all over the Laos countryside. This is a very poor country, and most people rely on agriculture to survive. Many people come across these UXOs and get injured or killed during farming. Others collect scrap metal, including children. Many of them are aware of the risk and still collect the scrap, because they are so poor. The picture below shows everyday items, such as cookware, made from parts of bombs.

This picture was drawn by a Lao refugee, and depicts the bombing during the war.

These prosthetics are both worn out COPE prosthetics and homemade prosthetics made by people with whatever materials they had (sometimes using metal from bombs).

Many Lao live in stilted huts like the one below. One way that Lao people accidentally set off UXOs is by simply starting a fire to cook, a daily activity. These huts require stairs, which many who have been disabled by UXOs struggled with.

 

COPE is the only organization in Laos that provides prosthetics and orthotics for free to anyone from anywhere in Laos. They also provide physical and occupational therapy, which are difficult to find in this country. One element I loved about COPE, coming from the solid waste industry, is that they recycle old prosthetics parts into new ones (prosthetics wear out, and children need new ones as they grow).

 

It is very sad, but an important issue to understand. I believe you can donate on their website, and I recommend visiting if you are ever in Laos.