APOPO trains rats to save lives by detecting landmines and Tuberculosis. This project will train one rat in Tanzania for nine months from birth to accreditation in order to detect landmines in Mozambique or Angola. APOPO's trained rats provide a cheap, efficient, and effective solution to the global landmine problem. To date, APOPO has cleared over 50 million square feet in Mozambique, which creates local employment and encourages development by returning safe land to local communities.
Dozens of countries around the world are affected by landmines. They pose a significant structural barrier to development and economic growth to the nearby communities. Currently, many developing countries are under pressure to meet their Ottawa Treaty commitments to become landmine free. Further, the detection of landmines is dangerous, expensive, and time-consuming. Therefore, APOPO has stepped up its war on landmines and aims to spread the use of its unique rat detection technology.
APOPO's trained mine detection rats provide a cheap, efficient and effective solution to the global landmine problem. For example, two of APOPO's mine detection rats, working with two human handlers, can cover 300 square meters of land in one hour. In comparison, two manual deminers using metal detectors, will need two full days to cover the same area.
By creating local employment and encouraging development, APOPO provides a cost-effective solution to global humanitarian challenges. The work of APOPO's trained rats reduces landmine casualties, and enables communities to utilize their land for agriculture or infrastructure development.
