Project RENEW: Local residents help reduce the danger of explosive ordnance in Quang Tri province

SUMMARY: On Wednesday, 23 June 2021, 38-year-old farmer Phan Van That called the Quang Tri provincial hotline and reported that he had unearthed a wartime munition while constructing a fish pond on his land in Trung Ngan Village of Trung Nam Commune, Vinh Linh District, Quang Tri Province. A quick response team managed by RENEW / Norwegian People’s Aid identified the item as a “bombie” – the local term for a cluster submunition. The item was only ten metres away from local residences. So the team had to evacuate That and his neighbours to a safe distance, and then they destroyed the item in place. Mr. That told the team it was all thanks to his daughter, Phan Ha Giang, who had learned about the provincial hotline number during a risk education session at her school. She was able to teach her father how to report the explosive ordnance for timely and safe removal.