Milk sales fund mine clearance

Proceeds from the sale of powdered milk have been used to fund mine clearance operations in Angola.

The United States Department of State said in a statement that the innovative initiative by the Humpty Dumpty Institute, a New York-based non-profit NGO, "will save lives and promote economic development in one of the world's most heavily mine-affected countries".

The NGO has arranged for the sale of US non-fat powdered milk in Angola, made available under a US Department of Agriculture food aid programme, which allows foreign governments and organisations to use US commodities in specific countries to support humanitarian objectives.

As a result of these efforts, some US $620,000 will be used to fund a demining operation along 1,500 km of a major road network linking rich agricultural land with key commercial markets in Angola's central Planalto region.

"In cooperation with The HALO Trust, a mine clearance organisation, work has already started on this 'Road Threat Reduction' project, following the delivery and sale of the first tranche of non-fat dry milk in October 2004. The final shipment is expected later this month," the state department added.

"In support of this novel approach to humanitarian mine action, the Department of State recently provided the Humpty Dumpty Institute with a grant to support the expansion of its mine action funding and implementation model to other mine-affected countries," the department noted.