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MARCH - APRIL 2011

In this edition:
Mozambique Mine Action results in 2011
APOPO-PRO project gets started in Thailand
Full accreditation for our newest heroes
APOPO's Board meets in Belgium
Collaborative action at Skoll World Forum
Trendsetting APOPO at the WCMP
Candles for Peace help train heroes
Upcoming events in Belgium and UK

Mozambique Mine Action results in 2011

APOPO and the HeroRAT team in Mozambique are off to a great
start for 2011! So far, we’ve cleared over 239,859 square meters of
land. In doing so, we’ve found and destroyed: 282 landmines, 78
unexploded ordnances, and 1,763 small arms and ammunitions.
That’s a lot of TNT!

We’re not stopping there either. Moving forward with our clearance
plan for 2011, APOPO estimates completion of all the remaining
known minefields in the Gaza Province this year – well ahead of
Mozambique’s Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention deadline in
2014.

From 2012 onwards, our Mozambique team will be re-assigned to

assist with mine action operations in other contaminated provinces.
APOPO has shown commitment to the National Clearance Plan
and is well-positioned to continue its unique and effective
clearance system, helping Mozambique reach its goal of being a
mine-free country by 2014.

APOPO-PRO project gets started in Thailand

APOPO has made significant progress in setting up our Thailand
Mine Action Program, with the support of the Thailand Mine Action
Center (TMAC). In 2010, TMAC requested APOPO to conduct a
combined non-technical and technical survey of all mine suspected
areas in the provinces of Trat and Chantaburi along the Thai-
Cambodian border. Preparations for the project started in October
2010, and APOPO is excited to report that the survey will be
conducted in partnership with a local NGO in Thailand, Peace
Road Organisation (PRO).

APOPO’s Head of Operations, Håvard Bach, and Thailand Project

Manager, Kjersti Tokle Fjellhaug, are now working together with
TMAC to produce training courses and Standard Operating
Procedures. The training of the survey team will likely begin in mid
2011. Although the HeroRATs will not be utilized during the first
phase of this project, we are looking into bringing the rats to
Thailand at a later stage to speed up clearance, when the
necessary funds are secured. This will aid Thailand’s efforts to
comply with the 2018 APMBC deadline.

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APOPO aims to help Thailand and TMAC to streamline its
operational land release decision making concepts and is
prepared to establish a technical survey and clearance capacity to
follow on after the survey, and continue to release land for as long
as the problem exists or funding permits. APOPO’s Thailand
project received initial financial support from the Lien Foundation in
2010.

Full accreditation for our newest heroes

Congratulations are in order for five handlers and seven HeroRATs
in Mozambique! In order to prepare for their demining work in the
real minefields, all of our staff members – both human and rat alike –
must pass an official accreditation test from the National Institute of
Demining in Mozambique (IND) before they can set foot (or paw) in
the minefields.

Recently three of our Tanzanian trainers, and two of our Mozambican

trainers, triumphantly passed their National Institute of Demining
(IND) accreditation test. Additionally, seven of our HeroRATs
(including the ever-popular Ziko) also passed their IND accreditation
test, becoming official Mine Detection Rats (MDRs).

Now they can put all of their hard work and training into practice, and
enter the real minefields to save lives and limbs! Everyone at
APOPO sends their congratulations on passing the test, and wishes
the newest additions to the HeroRAT demining team every success
in their vital work.

APOPO's Board meets in Belgium

Late in March, APOPO’s Board met in Belgium to discuss the
outcomes of our recent Strategic Planning Week at our headquarters in
Tanzania, and the Action Plan for 2011 that was subsequently
developed. The overall results and achievements of our 2010 programs
in Mine Action and Tuberculosis Detection were presented, and we
welcomed a new Board member to the APOPO team.

Frank Braeken has spent the last 23 years of his professional career
with Unilever. As the Executive Vice President of the North Africa,
Middle East and Central Africa Division, he has become passionate
about the potential of the African continent. We welcome Frank to the
Board, and look forward to his valuable insights.

The Board also held a special celebratory lunch for Professor Mic Billet
(pictured), one of our founding members, to show our gratitude for his
enthusiastic and ongoing dedication to our cause. Mic was presented
with a hand-carved wooden statue, made in Tanzania, to say ‘Asante
sana’ (‘thank you very much’) for all he has done, and continues to do,
for APOPO.

Collaborative action at Skoll World Forum

APOPO’s HeroRATs were represented by our founder, Bart
Weetjens, at this year’s Skoll World Forum (SWF) in Oxford, UK,
where in 2009 APOPO won the Skoll Award for Social
Entrepreneurship. Each year, SWF social entrepreneurs,
philanthropists, academics, and representatives from various
governments and industry leaders, come together in Oxford to
discuss innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing
humanitarian concerns.

The theme for 2011’s SWF was “Large Scale Change –

ecosystems, networks and collaborative action.” In the words of
founder Jeff Skoll, who happened to mention APOPO’s “big, big

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 founder Jeff Skoll, who happened to mention APOPO’s “big, big
rats” in his opening speech:

“A key imperative of the Skoll World Forum is to cultivate the

collaborations and grow the networks that will propel these social
entrepreneurs and their innovations to global impact.”

With the Skoll Foundation’s support, our innovative HeroRATs are

already making their mark on a global platform. Moving forward, we
will continue to focus on inspiring collaborative action that helps to
further the reach of our humanitarian efforts and achieve social
transformation in the communities we serve.

While at SWF, Bart was interviewed by TrustLaw about the ideas

behind APOPO and how our HeroRATs can help to solve pressing
humanitarian challenges. TrustLaw compiled Bart’s perspectives,
along with snapshots of 10 other ‘big thinkers’ as a way to present
the state of social entrepreneurship in 2011.

To view Bart’s interview, please click here.

Trendsetting APOPO at the WCMP

APOPO founder, Bart Weetjens, spread the word about the great work
our HeroRATs are doing at the World Congress of Muslim
Philanthropists (WCMP) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The philosophy
of the WCMP is driven by compassion, which is intrinsic in Islamic
values. The WCMP envisions a peaceful, equitable and sustainable
world, and is committed to advancing effective strategic giving.

Bart was invited to the WCMP to speak at a plenary session on

trendsetting humanitarian projects whose audience included leaders in
Islamic philanthropy. The main topic of discussion was innovative ideas
that can make giving in the Muslim world more effective, by investing in
locally generated agendas for inclusive social and environmental
change.

Candles for Peace help train heroes

A special thank you to all members of the Pax Christi Peace Group
in Gelnhausen, Germany, for their fantastic fundraising efforts in
support of HeroRATs. The group came up with the idea of selling
“candles for peace” – special candles that have the word “peace”
written in 24 languages. Each candle box contains a flyer, providing
more information about the training of mine detection rats. The sale
of candles for peace turned out to be a great success over the
holiday period, and the group had to place repeat orders!

The Pax Christi group was able to raise € 3,000 which will help to
support the training of more HeroRATs. At the same time, the team
has been raising vital awareness about APOPO’s work in their
community. With such a great demand for the candles, the
Worldshop in Gelnhausen has decided to sell them, to continue to
raise vital funds for APOPO. We really appreciate the efforts of all
involved, thank you Pax Christi Gelnhausen!

Upcoming events in Belgium and UK

APOPO will be represented at the following events in May, and we'd love to see you there!

BELGIUM
European Parliament Open Day
When: Saturday 7 May, 10am - 6pm
Where: Square Berlaymont, Brussels
Cost: FREE

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Festival Mano Mundo
When: Saturday 7 May and Sunday 8 May, 12 noon - 10pm
Where: De Schorre-Boom, Antwerp
Cost: FREE

UNITED KINGDOM
Ashoka UK Reception for Bart Weetjens
When: Wednesday 11 May, from 6.30pm
Where: McKinsey & Co, Morris House, 1 Jermyn St, London SWIY 4UH
Cost: FREE, but limited spaces

On behalf of APOPO and the HeroRATs, thank you for continuing to follow and support us in our
efforts to save lives and limbs. We wish you all a wonderful month ahead!

Warm regards,

The HeroRAT team

herorats@herorat.org
http://www.facebook.com/heroRAT
http://twitter.com/HeroRATs

APO PO -SUA, PO Box 3078, Morogoro, Tanzania

HeroRAT is a cam paign of APO PO

For m ore inform ation please see www.herorat.org or contact us at herorats@herorat.org
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