On December 30 Lithuanian-led PRT troops attended winter courses held by NGOs supervising Ghowr and gave pupils a lecture about mines and the threat they cause.
Members of the tenth rotation of the Lithuanian-led Provincial Reconstruction Team were invited to deliver lecture by personnel of Ghowr Division of Youth Organisation of Afghanistan.
The majority in the audience were schoolchildren of primary classes, and a girls' group. Children were instructed on ways to recognize mines, handle them securely, and mark them for EOD specialists to neutralize. Conductor of the courses demonstrated theory in practice: children were invited to imitate situations of discovering mines and handling them safely.
Lithuanian peacekeepers brought sets of learning tools for the young listeners that would aid them much when winter holiday is over and school year begins. Troops also showed to the children landscapes of Lithuania and Afghanistan caught on videotape as well as photoshots of cooperation between PRT members and citizens of Afghanistan.
Around 600 of listeners of various age groups usually gather to the courses organised by NGOs operating in Ghowr during winter holiday.
Children of Chaghcharan citizens are very communicative, friendly and knowledge thirsty; children are usually the first to inform multinational peacekeepers about unexploded ordnance and mines.
Lithuanian-led PRT headquartered in Chaghcharan, the capital city of Ghowr, took up responsibility for security in the province in June 2005. PRT is a joint military-civilian mission operating under International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). Its main task is to help Afghan Central Government extend its authority in the province, and to ensure security and environment suitable for provincial reconstruction.
Together with around 150 of Lithuanian military and civilian personnel representatives of Denmark, Georgia, Japan, the USA, Croatia, Romania, and Ukraine provide security in Ghowr. PRT-10 is formed on the basis of the 1st Territorial Unit of the NDVF Dainava Military District.
Pictures and article by PIO for PRT-10 1st Lt. Skomantas Povilionis
