Coalition Against Landmines(CALM)
Helping child landmine survivors get limbs and attend school
DONATE NOW 
What we do Countries Partnership News Related links CONTACT US
Founders
Desu Damtew
Desu noticed increasing number of civilian landmine victims when he was working as a Physical Therapist in a rehabilitation setup in Ethiopia (1992-1998). Among them were children between the ages of 5 and 12. The Ethiopian government arranged with the International Red Cross (ICRC) to provide and pay for rehabilitation and prosthetic needs of the members of injured military personnel from the past wars. But poor children and civilian landmine survivors had to pay from pocket for their rehabilitation services. Child victims and their families travel several hundreds of miles to get to rehabilitation centers in Addis Ababa (the capital city). Most end up being homeless on the streets of Addis for they cannot afford to stay in the city as well as pay for the prosthesis.
Having learned this life was never same for Mr. Desu. With dedication and full support of the Ethiopian Physical Therapists Association (which he helped found), he moved forward to help the abandoned child landmine survivors on the streets of Addis Ababa and other cities.
In June of 2001, the Ethiopian Physical Therapists Association (EPTA) in collaboration with the United Nation Development Program - Emergencies Unit for Ethiopia (UNDP-EUE), UNICEF and other prominent organizations, put together the first landmine workshop in the country at the United Nations Conference Center (please click HERE to access the full report of the workshop).
Mr. Desu migrated to the United States in 2002. With the support of 8th Day Church, which has its roots in the Church of the Savior in Washington, DC, he took the lead in establishing CALM. Desu is studying International Affairs at the George Washington University.
Shumye Gebrehiwot
In 2000, Mr. Shumye was working as a program Director for the U.S. based Landmine Survivors Network (LSN) in Ethiopia when he met Desu. Shumye suffered injuries and right leg above knee amputation from the civil war in Ethiopia. He represented LSN and helped with development of action plans and project budgets that largely benefit landmine survivors in Ethiopia. He participated and advocated for the global initiative to ban landmines. Worked with the Ethiopian Government to promote survivors' assistance, disability sport activities and socio-economic re-integration of persons with disabilities. Shumye firmly advocated for the rights of landmine survivors and other persons with disabilities. He also helped develop nation-wide Rehabilitation Service Directory in Ethiopia. Mr. Shumye migrated to the United States in 2002 and reconnected with Desu. He is studying accounting at Potomac College in Washington, DC. |