Today is December 26, and most of us are sitting comfortably at home with our families, having just enjoyed a fairly cushy (even if only relative to the rest of the world) Christmas.  But have you thought lately about how the rest of the world is spending today?  In particular, have you ever thought about what every day is like in war-torn countries?

The United States is notorious for sending in the troops “to save the day.”  Whether or not this is ultimately helpful is a matter on which opinions differ (and it probably varies from situation to situation).  But one thing that is true whether our involvement is beneficial or not, is that the pieces we leave behind can be harmful.

Mines Advisory Group (MAG) is a nonprofit organization that works to clear landmines and other pieces of unexploded ordinance.  From July 2012 to May 2013, they cleared and destroyed more than 300,000 of these items.  (Can you even begin to imagine how many there are, if this was not even a year’s time?)

Children are frequent victims of these unexploded devices.  They encounter the explosives while at play in their backyards or nearby areas.  Their natural curiosity acts as a liability in this instance, as well.  There are remnants left over from U.S. bombings that took place over 40 years ago.

However, more than 700,000 people can now carry on their lives without fear of these devices thanks to the work that took place during this nearly-one-year span.  Add in the work MAG has done before and since, and that is a lot of people who have been blessed by this organization’s efforts.

From now ’til the end of the month, if you donate $26, your contribution will be matched.  $26 is the amount needed to fund one deminer for one day of work clearing landmines and unexploded bombs.  If you’re looking for that last-minute tax deduction, maybe this is where you’d like to give?

This post is sponsored by Mines Advisory Group.  Image from Mines Advisory Group.