In April 2012, I went on my trip to the field – visiting MAG’s programs in Iraq and Lebanon. MAG Iraq is our biggest program: we clear land for agriculture and development needs, deploy emergency response Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) teams to destroy dangerous items, provide Mine Risk Education (MRE) to reduce the threat to the community, and the Community Liaison (CL) teams work with communities and partners to make sure our work is addressing the most urgent needs.

On our first day in the field, I traveled with MAG’s Community Liaison Manager (CLM) and other program staff to a refugee camp.  While driving on the dusty roads of Dohuk, we saw droves of students walking to school. I asked MAG’s CLM if the children in the refugee camps were able to attend school, and he told me the kids will join the schools when the semester begins again.