LANDMINES - THE KEY ISSUE

WHAT: Antipersonnel landmines are explosive devices designed to injure or kill people. They can lie dormant for years and even decades under, on or near the ground until a person or animal triggers their detonating mechanism. They can be activated by direct pressure from above, by pressure put on a wire or filament attached to a pull switch, by a radio signal or other remote firing method, or even simply by the proximity of a person within a predetermined distance.

WHO: Because no one controls the detonation of landmines, they can be referred to as victim-activated weapons. Since mines are not aimed at a specific target they can indiscriminately kill or injure civilians, including children, soldiers, peacekeepers, animals and aid workers.

HOW: Made of plastic, metal or other materials, mines contain explosives and some contain pieces of shrapnel. A landmine blast can be fatal or cause injuries such as blindness, burns, damaged limbs, and shrapnel wounds. Stepping on a blast antipersonnel mine will invariably cause foot and leg injuries, and secondary infections usually resulting in amputation. Fragmentation mines project hundreds of metal fragments, which cause the victim to suffer deep wounds. Bounding fragmentation mines spring up approximately one meter and then explode, firing metal fragments throughout a large radius.

WHAT: Article 2.1 of the Mine Ban Treaty defines an antipersonnel mine as:

 "a mine designed to be exploded by the presence, proximity or contact of a person and that will incapacitate, injure or kill one or more persons."

This means that the treaty bans the use of mines which are victim-activated, while the use of some mines in 'command-detonated' mode (meaning operated by remote control) is allowed under the treaty.

WHERE: Seventy-six countries and territories in all regions of the world are affected by landmines and/or explosive remnants of war. There is no credible estimate of the total number of mines in the ground worldwide, however the impact of mines can be measured in several ways, including totaling the amount of land that is unusable due to contamination or gathering data about the number of people killed or injured by mines. Courtesy of Landmine Monitor

3L VISION
To become a regional leader in the Middle East and Australasia for raising awareness and funds to support landmine survivors and their war experienced communities in the Middles East, Africa and Central Asia.

3L will become a global leader in pitting people against dynamic outdoor challenges, adventures and endurance events, which test and (re) teach us about our own mental and physical limits. The sacrifice and commitments will reach deep into the souls of participants and their communities, while raising awareness and funds for the global survivors of landmine accidents and explosive remnants in general.

3L MISSION
Key grand strategy is simply to Complete Challenge in the name of Charity & Survivorship . To do great for yourself and do great for others

It is the 3L mission to dare its community to chase an aspiration or goal that may seem larger then you, even slightly out of your reach and to go for it anyway. (Create your own 3L Challenge)

To support the reduction and elimination of landmines in a global context and to align and promote organisations and communities which support this aspiration.

3L - AN IDEA SEEDS
Age 23, living and teaching English in South Korea, I surfed across some information on the internet that really stuck to me. A convention called the Ottawa Landmine Treaty - a convention to ban the use of landmines that had been approved by a large group of countries and disapproved by a smaller group. It shocked me to read  the USA deemed Landmines to be 'Necessary Arsenal' in their technologically unmatched military.

Partly due to the fact I disliked landmines for being such silent, creepy, sneaky and faceless weapons, an idea seeded that this was a worthy cause get behind. Landmines represented a lot of whats not great about our world - the existence and use of an eternal and hidden soldier that permanently cuts off our freedom to safely access some of the world's fertile lands and transport routes, and has no means of identifying its target. Being a country kid that doesn't seem justifiable, no matter what the reason.

Thinking about it, it is easy to develop a massive amount of respect for the communities that battle against remaining Landmines even when the original war has moved on. To me these people are real survivors -surviving war, surviving landmines accidents, adapting communities and continuing to battle with these hidden metal bombs that reshape the lives every day.

Six years ago I thought 'Wow imagine if we could create an Anti-venom to counter the global landmine issue, something we could define as 'Necessary Arsenal' in the campaign to eliminate landmine use and their global positions.

Apart from scribbling notes and discussing with some close friends the idea pretty much got sat on. Except this idea stuck and six years on the in-action had me restless. Ideas were forming and couldn't be ignored. That's when I thought it's time to open the cage and step outside. 3L was initiated.

3L APPROACH PHILOSOPHY
1) Question Yourself: what would you want to experience, what challenge would you like to achieve?
2) Know: Be free of doubt about the fact your goal is in the realm of possibility
3) Declare Your Intention: Declare, not just decide, your decision to prioritze this goal in your life
4) Take: The massive action, on a consistent basis, required to achieve this aspiration

Learn about the Easy Six Step 3L Challenge Establishment Process