Landmine Survivors Network Training: Raising the Voices

Volunteer interprter Kathy helping landmine survivors participate actively in a training session.
Volunteer interprter Kathy helping landmine survivors participate actively in a training session.

Project at a glance

Dates and Place

15 - 17 June 2004, Geneva, Switzerland
Centre de rencontre de Cartigny

Organizers

Landmine Survivors Network.

Project details

For several years, the personal stories presented by landmine survivors have had a significant impact in reminding experts, diplomats and decision-makers of the human faces behind the issues being discussed when talking about Landmines.

Since 1992, The Campagne Internationale pour l'Interdiction des Mines Antipersonnel (ICBL) has worked towards the ban of anti-personnel landmines, at local, regional and international levels in more than 90 countries. The remarkable work achieved by ICBL and the Landmine Survivors Network (LSN) led to the signing of a treaty probihiting the use, production, stockage and transfer of anti-personnel landmines. To date, the treaty has been signed by 143 countries and ratified by 125 of them.

After the successful realization of a convention banning anti-personnel mines, there is a need to help landmine survivors participate in the ongoing debates related to landmines. This is being done through Raising the Voices, a leadership training program for survivors, which offers training during the standing committee meetings of the Mine Ban Treaty attended by government representatives, international organizations and NGOs.

The goal is to develop a team of survivors from mine-affected countries who have the capacity to advocate on behalf of survivors and other people with disabilities, both within their own countries and internationally.

Since 2002, ICVolunteers recruited 89 volunteer interpreters who spent 1'406 hours helping with informal interpretation from and to English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Khmer, Pashtun, Hindi, Laotian, Vietnamese, Nepalese, Thai, Russian, Serbio-Croatian and Albanian. Volunteers also provided assistance to landmine survivors, as well as logistical support for the training organizers.

External links

http://www.landminesurvivors.org

Volunteering Opportunities

This time twelve volunteers were in charge of interpreting from and to Arabic, English, French, as well as note taking, report writing, interviewing of participants and writing of articles, editing and proof reading. Volunteers also helped with logistical matters and transport.



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