N.J. Quakers help save lives a world away
By Edward Colimore
Inquirer Staff Writer
The tiny town of Gharm, Tajikistan, surrounded by snowcapped mountains, is still feeling the aftereffects of a civil war that killed more than 50,000 people a decade ago.
Trenches and earthen fortifications scar the high ground overlooking the Rasht Valley, and unexploded cluster bombs are claiming lives - often those of children who pick up the softball-size munitions.
Thousands of miles away, in Woodstown, Salem County, Frank Lenik, a Quaker and former Peace Corps volunteer, knew of the plight of the people there and wanted to help.
In his work as a surveyor, Lenik uses magnetic detectors similar to those utilized by United Nations contractors to locate and dispose of abandoned munitions.
So, when he saw the manufacturer of the devices offer a deal, Lenik went to members of his Woodstown Quaker meeting to raise money to purchase some.
Today, three detectors - two bought by the Quakers for about $1,500 and a third donated as part of a deal with the manufacturer - are being used under U.N. auspices in Tajikistan. And Lenik, his fellow Quakers, and others are raising money to buy more.
"From one small corner of New Jersey, we can reach around the world and send some good, positive energy," said Lenik, 48. "Fifteen hundred dollars is a small amount of money to do so much good."
U.N. officials say unexploded munitions are common in dozens of countries - wherever war has broken out, from Tajikistan and Somalia to Lebanon and Laos.
What's uncommon is getting equipment through private citizens to help dispose of them.
"I've never heard of a group doing this," said Richard Kollodge, a spokesman for the U.N. Mine Action Service, who took reporters to Tajikistan in June to acquaint them with the cluster-bomb problem.
"Countries acquire this equipment, but Tajikistan has a tight budget and can't afford them," Kollodge said. "This is a godsend."
To read the full article from The Philadelphia Inquirer, click on:
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/homepage/12274791.html
Inquirer Staff Writer
The tiny town of Gharm, Tajikistan, surrounded by snowcapped mountains, is still feeling the aftereffects of a civil war that killed more than 50,000 people a decade ago.
Trenches and earthen fortifications scar the high ground overlooking the Rasht Valley, and unexploded cluster bombs are claiming lives - often those of children who pick up the softball-size munitions.
Thousands of miles away, in Woodstown, Salem County, Frank Lenik, a Quaker and former Peace Corps volunteer, knew of the plight of the people there and wanted to help.
In his work as a surveyor, Lenik uses magnetic detectors similar to those utilized by United Nations contractors to locate and dispose of abandoned munitions.
So, when he saw the manufacturer of the devices offer a deal, Lenik went to members of his Woodstown Quaker meeting to raise money to purchase some.
Today, three detectors - two bought by the Quakers for about $1,500 and a third donated as part of a deal with the manufacturer - are being used under U.N. auspices in Tajikistan. And Lenik, his fellow Quakers, and others are raising money to buy more.
"From one small corner of New Jersey, we can reach around the world and send some good, positive energy," said Lenik, 48. "Fifteen hundred dollars is a small amount of money to do so much good."
U.N. officials say unexploded munitions are common in dozens of countries - wherever war has broken out, from Tajikistan and Somalia to Lebanon and Laos.
What's uncommon is getting equipment through private citizens to help dispose of them.
"I've never heard of a group doing this," said Richard Kollodge, a spokesman for the U.N. Mine Action Service, who took reporters to Tajikistan in June to acquaint them with the cluster-bomb problem.
"Countries acquire this equipment, but Tajikistan has a tight budget and can't afford them," Kollodge said. "This is a godsend."
To read the full article from The Philadelphia Inquirer, click on:
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/homepage/12274791.html
posted by Pax Christi @ Wednesday, February 27, 2008
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