U.S. Department of State Office of the Spokesman Press Statement

Media Note
July 10, 2000

Middle School Students Present Reading at State Department
On Landmine Threat

Students from Tenafly Middle School, in Tenafly, New Jersey, visited the office of Ambassador Donald Steinberg, Special Representative of the President and Secretary of State for Global Humanitarian Demining (GHD), and gave him and his staff an abbreviated version of their 16-minute, multi-media presentation on the worldwide landmine threat.

The students and their teacher, Mr. Mark Hyman, who has guided them in developing this presentation, are using these readings, accompanied by slides and music, to raise money to clear landmines near a school in the town of Podzvidz, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Podzvidz has been adopted as a sister city of Tenafly. Led by the Tenafly Middle School's Landmines Awareness Club, the students have established a nonprofit organization called Global Care Unlimited, Inc., to raise the $30,000 needed to clear that particular minefield. Since April they have raised $13,500 through donations from fellow students, parents, civic organizations, and houses of worship in Tenafly.

Their presentations have been seen by every middle school student in Tenafly as well as in a town meeting, helping to raise awareness of the threat posed by the estimated 60-70 million landmines that infest approximately one third of the world's nations. The students aim to reach an even wider audience throughout Bergen County, New Jersey, and beyond, thereby inspiring similar efforts by students throughout the United States. To that end, Mr. Hyman and his students are reaching out to church groups, service groups and non-governmental organizations to raise further support.

Ambassador Steinberg thanked Mr. Hyman and the students for their efforts and civic mindedness. He recounted his experience in Angola which opened his eyes to the ways in which landmines can prevent civilians from returning to their homes, fields and schools even when fighting ceases. Ambassador Steinberg praised the effectiveness and originality of their presentation which, he said, should help Americans who have never been in mine-affected nations understand the profound problems caused by these "hidden killers."

The Office of the Special Representative of the President and Secretary of State for Global Humanitarian Demining was established in 1997. It seeks to create conditions that will eliminate the threat of landmines to civilians around the world by the year 2010. GHD supports efforts in the U.S. and abroad to accelerate landmine detection and clearance programs, promote landmine awareness in affected nations, assist survivors of landmine accidents, enhance research and development of new demining technologies, and develop public-private partnerships to support these programs. GHD works with the U.S. Humanitarian Demining Program which provides demining assistance to 37 mine-affected nations.

For further information, contact John Stevens at (202) 647-0676.