It was our honour to pass on our operational know-how and technical expertise to twelve veterans as part of a course funded by the Swedish government and driven by the United Nations Development Programme with the Ukrainian Ministry of Economy. Ihor Bezkaraivainyi, Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine attended the course and thanked contributors for their support.
Especially poignant for the GCS team is that our own demining teams number veterans among our corps. The sharing of mutual expertise, technological know-how and operational skill sets is not only about acquiring new professional skills but also about understanding the value and mission of a veteran.
In this video compiled by UNDP, it is possible to see the readiness and determination of the veterans, who received hands-on technical traning as operators of our flagship GCS-200 demining platform, as well as demining-specific medical briefings and introductions to manual demining and the application of drones for demining. GCS International Project Manager Lourie Venter explains that, for veterans “from nothing, to the end of the course, they will [be able to] operate the GCS-200 in an explosive hazardous environment”. He adds: “Being an operator, that can be one of the values that you again add to your country.”
UNDP agree: “New practical skills and knowledge gained during the course will help veterans in future employment, opening new opportunities in humanitarian mine action. One of the participants has already signed the contract for a new job.”
To find out more about the iniative, visit the UNDP website: 12 veterans with disabilities complete training course, opening new opportunities in humanitarian mine action | United Nations Development Programme