Today, I may not produce more, but I know I will come home alive every evening. That is the best harvest.Dounia Gabin, Farmer and Community Focal Point
For years, DanChurchAid (DCA) has placed local engagement at the center of its mission. By recruiting and training community members, DCA ensures that risk education is rooted in the realities, needs, and strengths of the people most affected.
Local staff understand the terrain, the history, and the daily challenges of conflict‑affected areas – making their contribution not just valuable, but essential. Their work is often quiet, patient, and life‑saving.
One of these committed individuals is Zongatom Sarah Candide, a Risk Education Officer whose work helps embed life‑saving knowledge deeply and sustainably into local systems. Through her efforts, and those of many like her, risk education becomes more than a project – it becomes a long‑term protective habit within communities.
Teaching Messages That Save Lives
Across towns and villages – such as Ngaoundaye in the Central African Republic, where DCA recently held mass awareness sessions – teams work tirelessly to share simple, memorable safety messages:
- Recognise a suspicious object
- Do not approach
- Do not touch
- Report immediately
These messages are shared with children in schools, with farmers in their fields, with displaced families in temporary camps, and with community leaders who help spread the knowledge further.
As Gervais Bengba, who delivers Explosive Ordnance Risk Education (EORE) for DCA, explains:
“Risk Education is fascinating. You can see its long‑term impact, but also its immediate effect. When community leaders or teachers testify during sessions, you know you’re doing something truly useful.”
A Testimony of Vigilance: From Routine Work to Life‑Saving Awareness
Dounia Gabin is a community focal point and a local farmer in Ngaoundaye and his story is one shared by many across conflict‑affected regions. Once, he walked his fields believing the danger had passed. But his training showed him otherwise: even the smallest, rusted object could be deadly.
That knowledge helped avert what could have been a life-threatening indicent.
One morning, on his way to his field, he spotted a strange metal fragment. Instead of ignoring it, he stopped. He marked the location with large branches and alerted the DCA team.
“This education taught me to never touch, never pick up, and always report,” he says. “Now, every evening I return home safely. That is worth more than anything I harvest.”
Building Safer Communities Through Local Action
Behind each safe return home are structured, community‑focused methods:
Direct engagement:
– group sessions adapted to specific audiences:
- Children in schools
- Women and men in neighbourhoods
- Displaced families in camps
- Community leaders and volunteers
Progressively transferred skills:
– local focal points (like Gabin) receive training that empowers them to act as the first line of safety for their communities.
Community-embedded prevention:
– awareness of psychological, physical, and economic impacts of explosive ordnance ensures a deeper understanding or risk.
Immediate, practical tools:
– temporary markings, community alerts, and clear procedures help keep people safe while specialists prepare formal clearance.
A Long‑Term Commitment Worth Sharing
Mine action is not only about clearing explosive remnants of war – it’s about equipping people with the knowledge to stay safe today, tomorrow, and for years to come.