Comprehensive Mine Risk Education in Lao PDR

The Comprehensive Mine Risk Education (MRE) Project aimed to reduce injury and death from unexploded ordnance (UXO) by informing school-age children about how to protect themselves and their peers.

Formerly known as the UXO Education and Awareness Project, World Education began developing a primary school curriculum about UXO safety in 1996. While the number of UXO accidents in Laos decreased significantly since that time, children represented 53% of UXO casualties from 2016 to 2018, which demonstrates a continuing need for MRE. The Comprehensive MRE project worked to reach young people at risk of UXO accidents through a school curriculum as well as through puppetry performances in communities.

The project focused on building the capacity of the Ministry of Education and Sports (MOES) to manage MRE in the future. In all, the project reached 88 districts in Xieng Khouang, Luang Prabang, Houaphan, Khammouane, Sekong, Champassak, Savannakhet, Saravane, Attapeu, and Bolikhamxay provinces. Key achievements included:

• Supporting the Government of Laos to integrate MRE into the national primary school curriculum, enabling over 700,000 primary school students to receive messages about UXO safety each year;
• Developing new handbooks for teaching MRE in secondary schools and teacher training colleges;
• Ensuring 2,444 in-service primary school teachers and 4,397 pre-service student teachers know how to effectively teach MRE in primary schools.
• Enabling 220 puppetry troupes in primary schools to disseminate MRE to over 152,000 fellow students and community members throughout Laos.

Learn more about the Comprehensive MRE Project.