I chose Bart Weetjens as my hero. He is the founder of HeroRAT which is an organization that is dedicated to clearing land mines in Tanzania. His organization trains rats to sniff out mines in the fields so they can be diffused and removed from the land. Dogs were primarily used for this operation, but Weetjens realized that rats are more efficient. Rats are a better tool for sniffing out these land mines because they are lighter (less chance of setting off a mine), cheaper to maintain, and are less susceptable to tropical diseases.
In some places in Africa, children do not go to school for fear of stepping on a land mine on the way. The work of HeroRAT has been able to successfully remove land mines in multiple areas. An example of their work includes clearing the land surrounding a local school. Children are now able to play outside and freely walk around the area without fear of accidentally stepping on a mine. Because of this, education has been able to be resumed in that area.
I'm keeping up with this organization by following their blog online.
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