Mozambique is currently one of the poorest countries in Africa. Its economy depends heavily on foreign aid, and its land is difficult to farm or is simply unusable. This difficulty comes not only from severe drought and other weather phenomenon, but also from landmines laid over nearly three decades of war. It is estimated that twenty people step on landmines each month in Mozambique, sixty percent of whom die due to a lack of medical attention, the rest suffer numerous other hardships, often losing limbs.

Some estimate the number of landmines remaining in Mozambique at about three-million. It is important to note, however, that these landmines are not merely in abandoned fields, clearly marked. In fact, they are scattered about roads, bridges, factories, and even schools. It is disturbing that instruments intended for wars past are still affecting and endangering the lives of innocent Mozambicans, even children.

It is in this light that we have bound together. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the United Nations in 1948, states that "everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family..." (Article 25) It is without doubt that rights come with certain obligations. And although it is arguable that no legal obligation exists in this case, there surely is a moral force at play. The question, then, is who holds this obligation to the people of Mozambique? Do governing bodies, or do we as individuals? Regardless of who this obligation rests on, legally or otherwise, we have taken it upon ourselves for the benefit of the greater common good.

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