Mitzi Perdue’s crowd funding campaign
for mine clearing in Ukraine

A message on mine clearing from Mitzi Perdue

*The first $100,000 given to this project will be matched*

The children of Ukraine cannot play without the risk of losing their limbs.

Russian invaders systematically mined children’s playgrounds and rural areas surrounding Ukrainian villages. This is part of an effort to destroy morale, injure children, and leave the people of Ukraine without hope. It only takes just 19 pounds to set off a landmine. That is roughly the weight of a 2 year old child.

Together we can give children who’ve been sleeping in bomb shelters a place to be kids again!

I believe so strongly in this mission that I’m matching the first $100,000 donated to this project. When I was on the ground in Ukraine, I was shown landmines disguised as leaves or left hidden in dolls. It is disgusting how many mines were left intentionally to hurt the most vulnerable.

This fund will clear unexploded explosive devices that currently litter Ukraine. In addition to landmines, unexploded cluster bombs and shells cover large areas of Ukraine making returning to life fraught with risk and potential death.

We are partnering with the experienced HALO Trust to clear landmines from children’s playgrounds.

This project will provide six months of 2 HALO clearance teams. Each 9 person team of explosive clearing professionals will systematically clear explosives, and train locals in mine-clearing. You can learn more about HALO by visiting halousa.org

The local government is spread too thin and HALO teams have the special equipment to go where most needed. The need is immense and the more we raise, the more we can help Ukraine recover.

“As of now, 174,000 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory are contaminated with landmines and unexploded ordnance.” – President Volodymyr Zelensky, December 13, 2022.

With your help, we can help thousands of children have a landmine free childhood!

Will you join us in saving innocent children from losing limbs and showing our support for the brave people of Ukraine?

To donate via DAV or check, fill out this form: forms.gle/x8L1MQ4SCrM2uWDF8

Project Author Mitzi

In August of 2022, the head of the Kyiv Region Police invited me by Zoom to visit Ukraine. He had heard of me because of a story I wrote about human trafficking at the border between Poland and Ukraine. On that Zoom, General Nebytov invited me to see for myself how difficult things were in Ukraine.

Ten days later, I was in Kyiv. My first night was spent in a bomb shelter because Russia was aiming a barrage of missiles at the city where I was.

I visited in December as well, and as a writer, I’ve written roughly 18 stories on such issues as the Russians kidnapping and transporting to Russia a quarter of a million children. Come see links to these stories in places like Newsweek or the Washington Examiner:
mitziperdue.com/articles-by-mitzi

While in Ukraine, I began learning more and more about the horror of land mines. I got to see playgrounds where children couldn’t go because the Russians had left on the playgrounds landmines that resemble leaves.

The “leaves” were designed to carry enough explosives to blow a child’s foot off, but not enough to kill the child. The Russians also would booby trap homes so returning refugees would open a closet and end up triggering an explosive that if it didn’t kill the refugee, would probably permanently maim or disfigure him or her.

I also learned that by the end of 2022, 10% of Ukraine’s agricultural land was so severely contaminated with mines that it was unusable. Farmers in those areas can’t earn a living.

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