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OUR MISSION
The Mineseeker
Foundation
was established to:
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Promote mine action
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Improve technology in mine action.
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Develop an effective landmine detection system using unique technology,
mounted on an airship.
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Provide a significant tool in the humanitarian de-mining effort to provide
fast, accurate minefield mapping, allowing conventional de-mining to be
concentrated where it is needed.
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Enable immediate release of the estimated 80% of land currently classified as
mined, but which in fact contains no mines or other unexploded ordnance.
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Release wrongly classified land through survey in order to encourage economic
growth and stability.
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Support The landmine survivor’s network.
Identification of
landmines
Until now, the removal of these deadly menaces has been slow and costly,
mainly due to the time it takes to locate their position, whether buried in the
ground or hidden in the undergrowth, it can take hours to locate just one.
Currently, it is estimated that it costs $3 USD to make one landmine and $1,000
to locate and remove it, also it could take up to 600 years to completely rid them
from our planet.
Mineseeker's breakthrough technology can detect the position of the mines by
using ground penetrating radar, mounted on a stable aerial platform in the form
of an airship which scans the ground at 100 meters per second.
As the airship is flown over the suspected mined area, data is collected by the
radar and transmitted to the operator, giving a 3D display of the signature and
position of the mines.
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Metal or plastic, buried below the surface or hidden in the undergrowth, this
technology can detect their position.
Once the mines have been identified, the data is then passed to the ground
clearance operatives allowing them to safely remove the mines from site.
The radar signature of a suspected PMR-2a
(stake mounted, tripwire-activated anti-personnel fragmentation) mine.
picture shows example PMR-2a
This technology enables us to clear huge areas of land in one go, the
global landmine problem can be brought under control within our lifetime.
Beyond landmine clearance
While
Mineseeker will liberate land designated as mined, it will not stop there.
We
have introduced the ‘Sole of Africa’ campaign to ensure that the land is used
to grow crops, feed the local population and, more importantly, empower the
people. We intend to take the land and form a co-operative, dividing it into
small farm units. This co-operative will teach the local population to, sow,
grow, harvest and sell the produce.
We have formed an association with leading not-for-profit
organisations including ‘Feed the Children
The International Youth
Foundation and The Pacific
Institute, providing a ‘Foster Management’ to create a workforce,
training them to farm the land and provide a sustainable development. Our Victim Assistance
programme is now under-way in South Africa and we have already supplied a limited amount of
artificial limbs to landmine victims.
We have identified the South African
neighbours, Mozambique and Angola as two areas of outstanding need and will
concentrate on those areas until project completion
As our efforts are progressing, we have opened
offices in Los Angeles, USA and established Mineseeker SA, a South African
Section 21 company.
The ‘Sole of Africa’ logo is a poignant reminder of the job in
hand. It shows just one foot print: most mine victims that survive only have one
foot: it shows a foot print in the earth; the earth we intend to release back to
the people. Importantly, it is an invitation for us all to “Put Our Foot Down”
and take this first step.
For more information on Sole of Africa, visit our
website www.thesoleofafrica.org
We seek help
in our Global fund-raising campaign, to fulfil the call to action by our
Patrons.
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