Political science major Karyn Amira ’07 was on a Vietnam term abroad her junior year when she and several friends visited the legendary Angkor Temples in Siem Reap, Cambodia. The driver they hired for the day added an unexpected stop: a landmine ‘museum.’
“It was more or less a shack nestled in the outskirts of the city. That’s where I learned about the horrific nature of landmines that continue to litter the Cambodian countryside,” Amira said.
After discovering that the United States was the only NATO country that has not signed the Treaty to Ban Landmines, “I was shocked and a bit embarrassed,” Amira said.
She also was inspired.
Back on campus, she started a campaign aimed at college students to encourage the U.S. government to sign the international treaty. The campaign, which became her senior project, garnered the attention of a philanthropist who is giving 100 awards of $10,000 each – $1 million in all – to students from 66 American colleges and universities who are motivated to build world peace in the 21st century.
Amira and the other winners of the Kathryn Wasserman Davis 100 Projects for Peace awards will complete their projects this summer. Davis, who recently turned 100, created the program to mark her milestone birthday.
Amira’s proposal is titled “Students for a Mine-Free World.”
Speaking of her experience in Cambodia, she wrote, “I learned that land mines kill innocent civilians every 22 minutes… Unlike armies, they do not abide by peace treaties since they are left in the ground, waiting for local men, women and children to step on them.”
Last year, Amira organized two demonstrations at Union about the dangers of landmines. She is now focused on getting college students from other schools to view her Web site, www.minefreeworld.com, which includes everything from sample advocacy letters to links to politicians’ Web sites.
The funds from her recent award will bolster her outreach efforts. “It is time to show that a new generation has taken notice of this international landmine crisis,” Amira said.
Fore more information about 100 Projects for Peace, visit www.kwd100projectsforpeace.org.