This is the VOA SpecialEnglish Development Report.
Each year, thousands of people are killed or injured byexplosions from land mines. This is a serious problem in manydeveloping countries that are experiencing war. Afghanistan isconsidered the most heavily land-mined country in the world. Sovietforces fighting in Afghanistan placed most of the bombs during theNineteen-Eighties.
The United Nations estimates thatas many as ten-million land mines were buried in Afghanistan beforethe American-led war against terrorism started. That number hasincreased. United States military planes dropped unexploded clusterbombs in Afghanistan. These bombs are especially dangerous becausethey look like games for children to play with.
Now, the United States is helping Afghanistan remove thesedangerous land mines. It has employed a company based in Washington,D.C., called Ronco Consulting Company. Ronco is sending aneleven-man team of experts to Afghanistan to help remove the bombs.The team will also train Afghan officials in mine removaltechniques. They will start in Jalalabad, then move to four otherareas of the country.
Stephen Edelmann and Ronald Boydstarted Ronco in Nineteen-Seventy-Four. Since that time, the companyhas worked on more than three-hundred projects in more than fiftydeveloping countries. About ninety people work for Ronco in theUnited States. More than three-hundred people work for the companyaround the world.
In recent years, Ronco experts have gone to several othercountries to find and remove land mines. The company uses metalsensing equipment and specially trained dogs to find the buriedbombs. It also helps countries create special picture books forchildren. These books warn children about the dangers of land mines.
Human Rights Watch estimates that a single land mine costsbetween three and thirty dollars to make. Yet, the cost of findingand removing a single bomb is between three-hundred and one-thousanddollars. Although the cost is high, the United States believes it ismoney well spent.
Secretary of State Colin Powell has said the United States willhelp rebuild Afghanistan and bring hope to its people. He says thathope will begin with clearing the country of land mines.
This VOA Special English Development Report was written by JillMoss.