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From the desk of: Gillian Flude, Project Officer,  Mine Action Canada Sera and Gillian on top of Patuxai (Victory Monument) in Vientiane.   It’s been one year since my visit to Vientiane, Laos with Legacies of War, but the memories from the trip feel much closer. I was so honoured to be personally invited by Sera, Legacies of War’s incredible “KOUL-mander in Chief”. The entire trip was a testament to Sera and the Legacies of War team’s love of Laos, a love that is impossible

From the desk of: Susan Hammond, Founder and Executive Director of War Legacies Project , Co-Chair of the War Legacies Working Group Whenever I return to SE Asia, as I will in a few days, I always remember my first trip to the region in the spring of 1991. I was first drawn to Vietnam because I wanted to get a better understanding of what was so important about this far away country that it took my father away from me for his two tours when I was a child.  My father rarely ta

From the desk of Alexandra Hansen , Legacies Advocacy Ambassador Growing up south of Houston, Texas, I was surrounded by an infectious enthusiasm for innovation. My father was a career engineer at NASA, and has contributed to many incredible innovations that have sent men and women (some who were parents of my high school classmates) into orbit. I have always been thrilled by the belief that even the toughest challenges can be overcome with a team and a shared vision. I follo

From the desk of Lucas Sadoul , Legacies of War Lam Vong Circle Member, Advocacy Ambassador While studying Electrical Engineering at Paris-Saclay University—one of the most prestigious institutions in France—I learned about an incredible opportunity: a 10-week internship in Laos. This was made possible through a former professor of mine who now leads the association D2E Laos (Development, Energy & Education Laos), which advances renewable energy in Laos by sending electrical

By Justina Poskeviciute On this International Youth Day, I can’t help but solemnly reflect on the lack of care much of the world is giving to the suffering that young people are facing. How horrible it is to say that this should sound familiar: bombs tearing children’s bodies to pieces, thousands of lives either destroyed or permanently altered, and a continuous, collective trauma that spans generations. Racist narratives are used to justify it all, built upon a complete disr

From the desk of Paul Hannon , Former Executive Director of Mines Action Canada (MAC) Cluster munitions Photo: Paul Hannon Mine action is a term originally about eliminating landmines but has evolved to include cluster munitions and other explosive remnants of war. Mine action has five pillars: clearance, risk education, victim assistance, advocacy, and stockpile destruction. On December 3, 1997, representatives from 122 countries signed a treaty banning landmines in Ottawa,

From the desk of  Murphy Nosanchuk , Legacies of War Advocacy Ambassador, Intern Emeritus, and Mines Action Fellow There is a tangible difference between the academic knowledge of a subject and the application of that knowledge. When I began my work with Legacies of War in 2021, it was during the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. I worked remotely, seeing faces periodically over Zoom and getting a crash course in modern Laotian history through videos and books. I knew the thip