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Were you aware that in the 1960s and 1970s the United States was involved in a ferocious war in Vietnam which also impacted Laos, a country we were not at war with, and that 20,000 people have been killed by bombs in Laos over the 50 years since the war ended? Sunrise Senior College is pleased to bring you this spirited discussion and presentation by Restoration Laos founder Michael Ambler.

During this presentation you will learn how the neutral nation of Laos, which just happened to border Vietnam, and Lao territory was used by the enemy North Vietnam to move troops and supplies. In response, the U.S. secretly bombed Laos for a decade. This “secret war” left behind more than 80 million live cluster bombs, as well as larger bombs, littering the country from years of U.S. bombing during the Vietnam War. 

Michael will tell us the story of how he and his wife Darreby discovered just how serious this issue was, and how they decided to found Restoration Laos to help speed the pace of bomb clearance.  Restoration Laos’ Mine Action Team 53, equipped and managed by its expert operating partners at Mines Advisory Group, is currently clearing bombs from four villages in Khammouane Province, one of the poorest areas in Laos.

We will learn about the successes of MAT 53, and how these 9 highly skilled young women worked to clear 125 acres of land of Vietnam War era bombs, restoring safety, dignity and prosperity to villagers and subsistence farmers in remote rural Laos.  We will also learn how in 2025, MAT 53 will have a new sponsor allowing Restoration Laos to take on an exciting new project: a rapid response team which will immediately address emergencies when Lao people find bombs in their houses, schools and villages. Michael is traveling to Laos this February, where he will meet and work with this new team so as to be able to bring back stories of the difficulties they are facing in one of the most contaminated, hardest-to-reach parts of Laos. Working again with Mines Advisory Group, Restoration Laos will ensure that this team is able to scramble when the phone rings. Whether it’s a village chief, or a farmer, or a rural school principal, this team will be ready to turn on the flashing lights and say, “don’t worry—we’re on our way.”

Presenter:  Michael Ambler is the president of Restoration Laos. Michael is a former lawyer, a priest of the Episcopal Church, and the head of Restoration Laos.  On multiple visits, Michael and Darreby learned about the challenges the country faces: Laos is a “least developed nation” in U.N. terms, and is both land-locked and surrounded by more-powerful neighbors. The U.S. and other governments fund explosive clearance teams, but at current rates, some people and villages still have decades to wait until a team reaches them and makes their land safe. Mr. Ambler founded Restoration Laos to support at least one clearance team dedicated to these remote areas that otherwise wouldn’t be able to exist. 

Class Information:  This is a hybrid class - held in-person in UM@M’s room SCI 102 and via Zoom.        

All facilities at the University of Maine at Machias (UM@M) are fully handicap compliant.  The facilities used by Sunrise Senior College (SSC) at the college have ramps, elevators and handicap accessible bathrooms.  Our offsite functions and activities have various limitations and restrictions and may not be fully handicap accessible.  SSC will endeavor to identify limitations at these to you in advance.

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“Sunrise Senior College does not endorse any appeal or representation made by a presenter, non-profit organization or business during an SSC presentation.  SSC members attending the presentations may wish to pursue additional involvement with the organization or presenter based on the material that was presented and in doing so, they are acting on their own and not as part of SSC.”

This class is being offered Free and Open to the public and we encourage everyone with any interest in the material being presented to attend.