The following outlines our major projects that require regular and ongoing funding. More details on each initiative are available on request. Any  costs that have been given are purely budgetary and will vary depending on the implementation and the level of your involvement of each initiative.

 

The Mineseeker Foundation’s primary focus is to assist those who have been affected by the terrible scourge of landmines. While one immediately thinks of persons who have lost limbs, one cannot lose sight of the fact that whole communities have lost access to valuable land for fear of landmines. This has robbed them of the ability to develop land for agricultural and commercial purposes - a massive human tragedy.

 

Our initiatives range from prosthetic programmes to get people mobile and working again, to our Aid Free Zone projects that are commercially driven rather than a ‘one off’ benefit. The Aid Free Zones (AFZ) are the pivotal hub to changing and enriching communities by providing them with the building blocks for sustainability. There are a number of ways one can get involved with the Foundation. These range from posting links on your website to actively investing in some of the Foundation initiatives.

 

By making a donation or by getting involved you will affect the lives of hundreds and thousands of innocent landmine victims, who through no fault of their own have not been able to lead a normal life. By giving them back the ability to look after themselves you are restoring their dignity and giving them a future.

 

 

Preliminary figures that we have received from our sources in Mozambique indicate that there are 13,000 estimated landmine survivors that are in need of artificial limbs. This figure is currently being revised by our Amputee Database initiative (see below) and we are expecting this figure to grow to in excess of 18,000. The majority of these survivors require replacement legs. These prosthetics vary from below knee, to above knee configurations and in some cases these people are double amputees.

 

Fitting a prosthetic is not a simple matter. It is not just a case of purchasing a ‘stock item off a shelf ’. Each patient has to first be screened for suitability for fitting a limb. Once this has been completed the new limb needs to be manufactured and then customised for each individual’s requirements. Once fitted the limb needs to be maintained on a regular basis as the patient’s body changes and ‘wear and tear’ occurs. This period is generally from 18-24 months after original fitment. By using high quality components, although the initial cost is higher, the benefits in lower maintenance costs over the years offsets this cost.

Mobile Prosthetic ClinicMobile Prosthetic Clinic
The majority of the landmine survivors live in rural and sometimes very remote locations with very little access to any form of transport. The mobile clinic would be able to reach these survivors in order to provide them with prosthetics and basic health care services on a rotational basis.
During each visit to a location, the mobile clinic would not only fit new prosthetics but also attend to those survivors who require maintenance and servicing of their prosthetics.

Prosthetic Clinic and Workshop
Currently the Foundation sources its prosthetics from our partners in South Africa as there is no suitable infrastructure in Mozambique. By establishing a permanent clinic and workshop, components could beshipped directly there and the manufacture/customisation process be done closer to the source. The clinic would be mentored by our prosthetics partners and a programme put in place to train local skills to fulfilthese roles in the future.

The clinic would also serve as an operational hub for the mobile clinics and also provide basic health services.

THE AID FREE ZONE MODELTHE AID FREE ZONE MODEL
The Aid Free Zone is initiative by the Mineseeker operating in a range of countries throughout sub-Saharan Africa. The Aid Fee Zone consists of a number of sustainable solutions for those people affected by war such as the rehabilitation of land, building commercial and social infrastructures, rebuilding communities and assisting people with prosthetics.
Unlocking economic potential requires an approach that taps into existing resource bases, and develops entrepreneurial skills in a practical, appropriate and market driven manner.
The first trend is to establish rural trading (or collection) (CaTCH) points, creating a market for local produce and therefore harnessing existing agricultural potential.
The second is to establish Settlers Villages based on the principles of permaculture and guaranteedmarkets.
The third trend addresses the establishment of large scale commercial projects – in this instance aWhole Coconut Processing Factory.
This approach, discussed with and approved by local government, aims to develop productive,profitable micro-enterprises and farming units and is an ideal vehicle to achieve long termsustainable social and economic growth.

The Aid Free Zone concept takes the concept of Aid to a completely different level. It argues that AIDdoes not work, in the generally accepted form. It fact it kills people. Mike Kendrick, the Founder ofMineseeker has publicly argued that the biggest killer in Africa is not AIDS. It is AID. 

 If not applied correctly AID simply generates a universe of people who’s only skill in life is to accept aid. They have no skills left to self generate any wealth or sustain themselves in any way.
This is evidenced by the fact that, over the last decades $2.5 trillion has been donated to Africa. Yetthe average African is now twice as poor as before the aid    started. The more aid goes on appliedincorrectly, the poorer the people will become. The more we will kill.

This basic truth was given to Mike Kendrick in a meeting with Nelson Mandela. Madiba and Mr Kendrick have met many times but a few specific words affected him profoundly. ‘If you give a hungry man a bag of grain, all he can do is eat it’. He has no skills to sow, grow, reap and sell the produce. The skills have been long forgotten by himself his children, his children’s children and so on.

‘Could we design and fund a village that is self sustainable; That needed some front end funding but would produce profit at the other end: That would become an AID FREE ZONE?’
It would publicly demonstrate that aid can work. It is the only way for Africa to stand on it own two feet. 

There is no other way.

We are starting with a simple structure. We are building (taking over an existing) village. We are creating acooperative farm around the village. We  are teaching the population how to sow, grow, reap and sell excessproduce. We are taking the money and use the profit to add on more land, other food processing outletsand around we go in a spiral of education and profit. AID FREE!!
Initial, one time humanitarian investment will be needed to create our first AID FREE ZONE

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