Project Masam’s Explosive Ordnance Risk Education (EORE) team delivered a risk education session to more than 200 students at the 26th of September School in Bani Al-Zain village, Hayran District, northern Hajjah Governorate.<\/p>\n
The session focused on the risks posed by landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW), helping students recognise potentially dangerous objects, understand how to keep themselves safe and know how to report suspected explosive hazards.<\/p>\n
Project Masam EORE team leader Engineer Mujahid Al-Shaer addressed students during the morning assembly and later continued the sessions in classrooms. He explained the dangers posed by landmines and ERW, showed students images of explosive hazards they could encounter and taught them what to do if they discovered a suspicious object.<\/p>\n
Students were also given Project Masam’s contact details and taught how to report a suspected explosive hazard directly to its teams so that trained deminers could respond safely.<\/p>\n
Teacher Khaled Zein said EORE activities help students understand the risks posed by explosive remnants of war in an area where contamination continues to threaten local communities. He explained that many students walk up to two kilometres to reach school, travelling through potentially hazardous areas each day.<\/p>\n
Zein said parents are particularly concerned during periods of heavy rain, when flooding and water runoff can displace landmines and carry them towards farmland, roads and other areas used by civilians, creating additional risks for students and residents during their daily journeys.<\/p>\n
The importance of the EORE session became immediately apparent when one student told the Project Masam team that he had found a suspicious object on farmland beside the road while travelling to school.<\/p>\n
Following the student’s report, Project Masam’s EORE and community liaison personnel went to the location and secured the area around the suspected explosive hazard. The discovery was then reported to Project Masam’s operations room in Midi so that a demining team could take the necessary action.<\/p>\n
The incident demonstrated the role EORE can play in protecting children living in mine- and ERW-affected communities. By teaching students to recognise potential explosive hazards, keep a safe distance and report them rather than approaching or touching them, Project Masam aims to reduce the risk of civilian casualties while its demining teams continue working to identify and clear contamination.<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t