Emergency’s Global humanitarian efforts and landmine advocacy since 1994

An entire Sunday along the Marconi lakeside with the Emergency tent to spread the message of peace and solidarity from doctors operating worldwide to care for war-wounded.

Representing and promoting the powerful message of surgeon Gino Strada, whose brilliant idea led to the formation of this humanitarian organization for the care and rehabilitation of landmine victims—called “green parrots”—were mainly young people; youths willing to donate their free time to convey Emergency’s message and its extensive activities around the world to the public.

From June 1994 to December 1999, Emergency spent over 21 billion lire and treated more than 90,000 people. It built five health centers that it manages directly.

In 1995, it established a hospital in Choman in northern Iraq; in June 1997, it built a surgical center for war victims in Erbil.

In February 1998, it inaugurated the rehabilitation and social reintegration center in Sulaimaniya, providing 1,150 upper and lower limb prostheses.

In the same year, in July, it launched a surgical center for landmine victims in Battambang, Cambodia.

Three thousand people have been treated, and another 24,000 received care at the four first-aid stations. In December 1999, it opened the surgical center in Anabah, Afghanistan.

Conflicts, initiatives, and legislation against landmines

“In today’s conflicts, more than ninety percent of victims are civilians,” explains one of the young volunteers at the tent. “Every year, thousands of women and children are killed worldwide. Many more are maimed or wounded.”

Emergency provides medical-surgical assistance and rehabilitation, and also aims to train local personnel to manage centers for victims and wounded individuals. Emergency has fought for Italy to cease producing landmines—real weapons of war that mostly disarm and kill civilians.”

After much insistence and pressure, on October 22, 1997, the Italian Parliament approved Law No.374, which bans the production and trade of landmines.

However, over 110 million devices remain scattered across 67 countries, ready to explode.

To raise awareness about the issue, the organization developed educational projects, school outreach, exhibitions, conferences, and also established a website: www.emergency.it.

Along the lakeside, at the tent, T-shirts, gadgets, books, and publications were available, aimed at raising funds for the primary objectives of the Milan-based organization founded by Strada.

A second event with Emergency youth is scheduled for the first week of March, again along the lakeside.