Landmine Survivor’s Network Provides Victim Assistance in
Jordan
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| With
almost 500 mine fields, Jordan suffers from a widespread
landmine problem. Landmine Survivor’s Network is working to
help the country cope with this issue by providing victim
assistance in a number of ways. |
by Kathleen Powers, LSN
Landmine History in
Jordan
According to military figures, most
mine incidents occurred during the latter part of the 1960s and early
1970s, when the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict spilled into Jordan.
Incidents rose again during the early part of the 1990s due to heavy
rains and floods that shifted landmines from their originally marked and
mapped fields into unrecorded areas.
Jordan Landmine
Statistics
Landmine Monitor
estimates the number of victims, including both civilian and military
personnel to be 505. Military estimates show the number of victims to be
700–900.2 Jordan has
declared that there are 497 mine fields containing 220,000 mines in both
Jordan River Valley and in the northern areas of Irbed, Balqa and to a
lesser extent, Mafrak (Syrian border).1
The Royal Corps Of Engineers conducted
all demining operations from March 1993 to present. The RCOE has cleared
approximately 82,928 mines.1
Factors impeding mine clearance operations include high temperature,
heavy vegetation, and seasonal flooding.
LSN Background in
Jordan
Landmine Survivor’s Network (LSN)
established a country office in Amman in 1999. The Jordan Office works
under the umbrella of the Ministry of Social Development to provide
peer support for landmine victims and other persons with limb loss.
There are an estimated 900 landmine survivors, and LSN estimates that
there are 3,000 amputees in the country from other causes.
Target Group
In accordance with LSN
philosophy, the Jordan Network Director and Field
Workers are themselves amputees. Currently, there are four Field Workers
covering the northern areas of Irbed, Ramtha and Mafreq, where there are
high numbers of landmine victims, and in Amman and Zarqa, where there
are high numbers of amputees from other causes. Also, LSN is working
with military survivors, most of whom are mine removal specialists.
Hundreds of them have been injured by landmine blasts. As a result,
there is a Liaison Officer whose role is to provide follow-up care,
facilitate access to military medical care resources and provide
regularly updated information about new mine incidents.
LSN Activities
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The Jordan LSN team. C/O LSN. |
Field workers conduct home and
hospital visits to over 325 survivors to assess their needs, offer
psychological and social support, educate their families about the
effects of limb loss, and provide awareness about local disability
rights and support for gaining those rights. Core elements of LSN work
are listed in the following sections.
Offering Peer Support for Landmine
Survivors and Other Persons with Limb Loss
Through peer visits, LSN outreach
workers provide survivors with a safe environment to recount their
experiences, promoting improved psychological and physical well-being.
During these visits LSN interviews survivors, identifies their needs and
provides educational materials.
Providing Educational Materials
LSN distributes the Arabic version of the Surviving
Limb Loss pamphlets to service providers, amputees and their
families. The network also produces Rehabilitation Service
Directories for distribution to service
providers and people with disability.
Link or Referral to Existing Service.
LSN has multiple contacts within
government and local organizations and refers survivors to agencies such
as the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Social Development, which
facilitates authorizations needed for disability benefits and medical
insurance for civilians. To date, 275 survivors1
have received services through these organizations.
Providing Direct Assistance
If there is no help available from
local resources, LSN provides direct assistance (DA). Currently, there
are 79 survivors1 who have
received DA to meet their needs. DA is normally provided in the form of
vocational training, house repair, small business development and
mobility devices.
Promoting and Supporting Sports for
Persons with Disabilities
Working in parallel with the Jordan
Sport Federation to promote sports for persons with disability, LSN has
assisted the Federation in organizing a number of competitions (regional
and national tournaments) and has formed the first swim team for persons
with disabilities in Jordan. Two swimmers from the team participated in
an international tournament in Tunisia.
LSN also sponsored a Running Clinic
for amputees, facilitated by Para-Olympic athletes Dennis Oehler and
Todd Schaffluaser. The clinic was designed to teach amputees how to
resume a life of walking, running and even jumping.
Contact Information
Mr. Adnan AlAboudi
Jordan Office Director
P.O Box 911651
Amman-11191- Jordan
Tel: 962 6 5683044
Fax: 962 6 5653422
E-mail: lsnjo@go.com.jo
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