From 1964–1973, the United States dropped more than 250 million bombs on Laos.
This was equivalent to one planeload of bombs every eight minutes, 24 hours a day, for nine years. Tens of thousands of civilians were killed.
But the harm did not end there.
Millions of these bombs did not explode and 52 years after the bombing, unexploded ordnance continues to pose a deadly threat daily for Laotians. Since the end of the bombing, 20,000 people have been killed or injured. Most of these victims are children.
When I visited Laos several years ago, I saw fields marked with signs warning villagers that there were unexploded bombs there.
On the Plain of Jars, unexploded bombs lay scattered among ancient mysterious massive jars. This archaeological site is in one of the most heavily bombed areas of Laos.
But the people of Laos are resilient. They began melting the bomb’s remnants and converting them into something useful, starting with utensils. The effort not only generated income for the villagers, but it also helped clean their fields.
With the help of the organization, ARTICLE 22, the Lao artisans began creating stunning handcrafted jewelry out of bombs. During Mine Awareness Day, April 4, FCNL collaborated with ARTICLE 22 to produce two limited edition bracelets.
