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"The legacy of landmines is an extremely serious issue that we can all do something about. We must reawaken people's consciousness about the horrors of landmines and the unspeakable human suffering caused by these indiscriminate weapons of war."

Sir Paul McCartney
Adopt-A-Minefield
Goodwill Ambassador

LAMP is an organization of La Crosse area citizens who wish to combine the activities of raising public awareness regarding the global menace of millions of hidden landmines with active fundraising for the removal of landmines in a specific country, Afghanistan.

It is estimated that up to 300 Afghans are injured or killed by landmines every month - the highest rate in the world. Many cases go unreported because the injured do not have access to medical care. Landmines also pose a direct threat to economic recovery. More than 800 km2 of residential area, commercial land, roads, irrigation systems, and primary production land are littered with mines and unexploded ordnance.

LAMP is organized as a member of the United Nations Association of the USA (UNA-USA) which coordinates the Adopt-a-Minefield™ Campaign in partnership with the United Nations and other public and non-governmental organizations. Through Adopt-a-Minefield™, donors sponsor demining in any of six countries of the world. Donor groups or communities may adopt a specific minefield for clearance in five of these countries, but in Afghanistan both demining and ordnance defusion is performed by a specific team. This is identified as an Adopt-A-Team approach. The short term goal of LAMP is to sponsor the work of 30 Afghan deminers in a specific district for two months. The cost of this project is about $30,000.

The Night of a Thousand Dinners (N1KD) began as an opportunity for people all over the world to come together, enjoy a meal, and help solve the global landmine crisis. Throughout the world, citizens gathered in groups to eat, socialize, and support this important cause.

The Night of a Thousand Dinners has now evolved to include gatherings of every conceivable kind and size; from formal luncheons to potlucks, from cocktail parties to tea parties, from barbeques to clambakes - it’s a local event that’s a global event. N1KD is celebrated every year on or around the first Thursday in November.

The Night of a Thousand Dinners has energized tens of thousands of caring citizens and has grown into an international phenomenon! This simple concept of gathering friends and family as members of a global community in support of a common cause has been a great success. Since its launch in 2001, nearly 2000 dinners (or gatherings) have been held in over 50 countries and over $2.3 million has been raised.

In La Crosse, Wisconsin, LAMP has hosted three successful dinners raising $23,000 for mine removal in Afghanistan.

2006: LAMP's N1KD will be on Saturday, November 11. And on November 12 and 13, don't miss the United Nations Assembly Film Festival at UW-L. More info soon!

For more information about LAMP, contact Ray Starrett by e-mail RayStarrett@charter.net or call 608-788-4767. The website for N1KD is http://www.1000dinners.com and for Adopt-A-Minefield™ is www.landmines.org.

LAMP is a non-profit group that is open to all.
Please email or call for more information.

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These pages were last updated on October 27, 2006.