"Zab Mohammed is haunted. After 25 days in the civilian post-op ward of Kabul’s military hospital, the ghost of his accident is still alive in his eyes. In an instant, the invisible landmine he detonated in his hometown in Nangaher Province snuffed out his left above the knee. He is 18 and still has most of his life ahead of him.

Accident survivors like Zab still come in to hospitals around Afghanistan at the rate of 60 per month, a much higher number than any of the other countries where Clear Path works, such as Vietnam and Cambodia. And the war-torn South Asian nation has nearly 60,000 existing landmine accident survivors -- almost as many as Vietnam. Their needs are staggering. That’s why Clear Path is there.

In 2007, the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement (WRA) awarded Clear Path International a multi-year sub-contract, under the prime contract held by DynCorp International, to establish, implement and direct the Victim Assistance component of WRA’s Afghanistan Program. Under the new and fast-growing program, CPI has already funded services to more than 6,300 landmine accident survivors and persons with disabilities in Afghanistan.

The emphasis of Clear Path’s work through its partnership with DynCorp is on building and strengthening the capacity of newly established or existing Afghan organizations to better serve persons with disabilities, including survivors of explosive remnants of war (ERW) accidents. The Victim Assistance Program provides financial support and technical expertise for quick impact projects designed to sustainably build host-nation capacity at individual, organizational and national levels.

Since launching the Program in May 2007, CPI has partnered with Kabul-based domestic organizations including the Afghan Landmine Survivors’ Organization (ALSO), the Kabul Orthopedic Organization (KOO), the Accessibility Organization for Afghan Disabled (AOAD), and the Development & Ability Organization (DAO) to provide rehabilitation and peer support services, employment opportunities, barrier-free access to schools and advocacy for the rights of persons with disabilities.

In 2008, with technical leadership provided by Elegant Design and Solutions (EDaS), CPI established the Afghan Mine Action Technology Center (AMATC), a project unprecedented in the field of Mine Action. The AMATC brings together the key pillars of victim assistance, employs disabled deminers to produce the equipment necessary for active deminers to carry out their essential work with increased safety and generates revenue for rehabilitation services. The AMATC produces products for the demining community, such as tools, renovated demining visors, and first-aid kits. The center will also bring state-of-the-art prosthetic technologies to Afghanistan, improving rehabilitation outcomes for people with disabilities. Income generated by sales from the center goes directly into rehabilitation, with most products costing significantly less than those currently offered by international suppliers.

Clear Path works in close coordination with the Mine Action Center for Afghanistan (MACA) and contributes to the goals set forth in Afghanistan’s Development Strategy and Afghan National Disability Plan. In November 2007, Clear Path and the United Nations Mine Action Center for Afghanistan (UNMACA) supported the Government of Afghanistan to host the 2nd National Victim Assistance Workshop, which drew more than 200 international participants -- nearly twice as many as the previous year.