Lao PDR - Xieng Khouang Province - The Women of UCT6 unexploded ordnance clearance team

Laos is the most bombed country, per capita, in the world with more than 270 million cluster bomb submunitions dropped on it during the Vietnam War from 1963 to 1974. Bouakham Bounmavilay (48), a widow with 4 children, has worked as a technician for the Mines Advisory Group (MAG) in Xieng Khouang Province for a year. This is her first paid job. It's MAGs policy to select from the local population the poorest members of the community to be trained and employed as technicians. Bouakhams family has a small farm in Ban Naphia which has not yet been cleared of UXO. "My rice paddy is not completely safe but we don't have another place to grow rice", she says.

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Filename: A0012385cc_1_1.jpg
Copyright: Tessa Bunney
Image Size: 2828x2121 / 1.2MB; Southeast Asia Southeast Asia Laos Lao PDR Xieng Khouang Mines Advisory Group MAG Xieng Khouang Ban Naphia Naphia humanitarian agency charity NGO non-government organisation UXO unexploded ordnance Vietnam War Vietnam war conflict Tessa Bunney countryside rural environment remote isolated village community liaison villagers women woman female consultation development uniform work job working working rice paddy widow technician unsafe land landscape carrying carry family farm susistance harvesting sticky rice farming
Contained in galleries: Lao PDR - The Women of UCT6 unexploded ordnance clearance team

Laos is the most bombed country, per capita, in the world with more than 270 million cluster bomb submunitions dropped on it during the Vietnam War from 1963 to 1974. Bouakham Bounmavilay (48), a widow with 4 children, has worked as a technician for the Mines Advisory Group (MAG) in Xieng Khouang Province for a year. This is her first paid job. It's MAGs policy to select from the local population the poorest members of the community to be trained and employed as technicians. Bouakhams family has a small farm in Ban Naphia which has not yet been cleared of UXO. "My rice paddy is not completely safe but we don't have another place to grow rice", she says.