Landmines

The United States is currently deciding whether or not to sign onto the Mine Ban Treaty. The Polus Center for Social and Economic Development works with landmine victims in different countries to offer services they would otherwise not have access to. It also helps victims to reintegrate into a normal lifestyle in which they can generate an income. Deans Beans and The Polus Center decided to collaborate and come up with a comprehensive solution. They decided to start a cafe and it is currently the only fully accessible handicapped cafe in Nicaragua, called the Ben Linder Cafe. Ben Linder was an American Activist, he was killed by the Contras (CIA trained and funded) in the midst of building a hydroelectric dam which would bring water and electricity to a rural village in Nicaragua. The profits of this Cafe in Ben Linder's name go to a prosthetic limb clinic not to far away called Walking Unidos. Ben Linder was also the first cafe in Latin America to roast its own coffee, the picture on the left is a picture taken when I went to Nicragua and is roaster donated by Dean Cycon from Deans Beans. There are many problems with landmines since the US Contra war and there are still landmine victims in need of assistance. If the use of landmines was not permitted to begin with people would not still be suffering from a war that ended years ago. Landmines are expensive to find and get rid of, more often than not if a country does not have the resources or political will to do so they will not attempt to remove them. Encourage President Obama to sign onto the Mine Ban! http://actnow-phr.org/campaign/obama_landmine_action
Polus Center Website on Landmines: http://www.poluscenter.org/international.html
Article in Fresh Cup Magazine on Cafe: http://www.deansbeans.com/coffee/in_the_news/detail.html?newsid=22