I have signed up to my biggest challenge so far.... A trip of a lifetime ..... cycling through breathtaking countryside from Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) to the fascinating temples of Angkor Wat to support the lifesaving work of humanitarian landmine clearance charity MAG.
I will cycle around 470 KM over 5 days starting at the graceful city of Ho Chi Minh and gradually make my way through the paddy fields of southern Vietnam before crossing into Cambodia. The journey continues through the backwaters of Cambodia cycling through tropical countryside where the jungle stretches all the way to the roadside, alongside the Tonle Sap lake, the life blood of Cambodia, and on to one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, the Unesco World Heritage Site of Angkor Wat.
This is a charity event and I am aiming to raise £3,000.00 for MAG which will help to reduce the threat of death and injury and release safe land and other vital resources back to the local community.
Cambodia is one of the most heavily mined countries in the world. MAG has been working in Cambodia since 1992, clearing the remnants of conflict from both the Vietnam War (1959-1975) and the Cambodian – Vietnamese War (1975-1989). Despite the fact that war has ended, families and communities remain physically endangered and socially and economically disadvantaged from the mines and bombs left behind. No one knows how many landmines remain in Cambodia, but estimations are between four and six million. From 2001 to the present day, nearly 5,000 Cambodian men, women and children have been reported as maimed or killed by weapons left behind after decades of conflict.
MAG has been working in central Vietnam since 1999, particularly in Quang Tri province which saw the majority of fighting and bombing during the 1960s and 70s. Military reports indicate that approximately 20 per cent of Vietnam’s land area is still contaminated by the 350,000 to 800,000 tonnes of unexploded ordnance (UXO) left as a legacy of the conflicts fought on Vietnamese soil throughout the 20th century.
According to UNICEF, between 1975 and 2000 there were 44,000 UXO-related accidents reported in Vietnam. As the largest non-military clearance organisation operating in Vietnam, MAG plays a key role in reducing the risk and impact of landmines and unexploded ordnance on the local population, and also in facilitating post-clearance construction and resettlement in these worst affected provinces.
MAG’s work in Cambodia and Vietnam does not just save lives; it clears the path to rural development. The extent of contamination means that much of the rural population lives day-to-day with the threat of injury or death outside their door.
MAG is committed to reducing the threat of injury and death by clearing land that will increase the social and economic opportunities of the local community through providing safe access to agricultural areas, schools, wells, health clinics and other community resources.
