There are approximately 80 million landmines in 80 different countries throughout the world. Landmines are indiscriminate weapons of war. They do not distinguish between a soldier's footstep and a child's. Every 22 minutes, a landmine maims or kills a person. Alison Bock recognized the need to teach young Americans about this direct threat to the lives and livelihoods of their peers around the world. In 2003, she founded Landmines Blow, a grassroots, non-governmental organization dedicated to raising awareness of the global landmine crisis.
Landmines Blow seeks to educate and engage American youth about what they can do to help limit or even ban the indiscriminate use of landmines. The organization also raises funds to build wells in mine-affected communities, thus ending the need for villagers to forage for water sources in mine-laden areas. For example, Cambodia is one of the worst landmine-affected countries in the world due to almost three decades of conflict. Yet, when villagers can access a clean water source within their village borders, the death rate plummets. Villagers no longer have the need to venture into heavily mined areas outlying their home. Additionally, the access to clean water reduces disease rate for all persons in any given village.
Landmines Blow is a volunteer-driven organization. It has no salaried employees. Alison runs the organization in addition to working a full time job. She lacked the funds to have a Web site built, so she researched the technical requirements at the local library and then built her programs Web site herself: www.landminesblow.org.
In 2005 doctors diagnosed Alison with Multiple Sclerosis. This has not deterred her from her commitments. In fact, Allison believes she must now inspire people with MS to realize that they, too, can and must strive to make a difference in the world. The day after her diagnosis, she helped a young landmine survivor realize his dream by raising enough money to fly him and his brother from Zagreb Croatia to a music camp for the blind in New Orleans. Clearly, Alison Bock shows by example that the only affliction she considers truly debilitating is inaction in the face of a clear and present danger.
Read More Hero Stories >
