THE PAST

1964 – 1973 Laos

Two million tons of ordnance were dropped on Laos during 580,000 bombing missions.

That’s 1 B-52 plane load of bombs.

Every 8 minutes – 24 hours a day – for 9 years.

Laos is one of the most heavily bombed country per capita in history.

At the current rate of removal, it will take an estimated 800 years to clear all unexploded ordnance.

These startling facts were the driving force in the Sacred by Design quest to help change.

THE FUTURE

BEAUTY FROM UGLINESS AND A MESSAGE OF PEACE

From the heart of Laos, LOVEbomb jewellery is cast from melted bomb fragments, in wood and ash moulds.

Upcycled from safely sourced bomb scraps by artisans in Laos and made under Fair Trade conditions, each piece serves as a peaceful reminder of destruction, reconstruction and a hopeful future.

Each LOVEbomb product sold assists with safe land clearance and supports the artisans to provide for their families and village development.

Sacred by Design works with Saoban, a Lao NGO (non government organisation) who are an active member of PADETC (Participatory Development Training Centre). PADETC is an indigenous, all-Lao organization committed to making a unique and distinctive contribution to the development of Laos. They integrate socially sustainable programs in education, agriculture, micro-finance, handicrafts and community leadership.

Together we follow fair trade principles to ensure that the artisans receive a fair price for their products, and the benefits extend to the whole community.

In addition, Sacred by Design donates a percentage of their annual sales back into the Laos community, focussing on education & sanitation.  CLICK HERE SEE OUR PROJECTS

LOVEbomb – Made by PEACEmakers for PEACElovers

Sacred by Design is proud to be part of this project and thanks you for your support.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

The recycled aluminum is sourced from airplane parts and bombs dropped throughout Laos during the Secret War in the 1960s.  The community which produces LOVEbomb’s recycled bomb products have all been trained by Helvetas, a Swiss NGO, on how to handle the metals safely, including smelting and cleaning the aluminum before use.

According to the Cooperative Orthotic & Prosthetic Enterprise (COPE), Lao PDR is the most heavily bombed country per capita in the world. From 1963-1973, Laos became an unwitting pawn during the Second Indochinese War. During this time, the US Air Force dropped a planeload of cluster bombs every eight minutes for nine consecutive years.

During the aftermath of the war, villagers began to collect, sell, or use scrap metal from the bombs as a means to generate income. Villagers put the metal to creative uses, as seen in monuments, building materials and household items.

Sacred by Design works in Ban Naphia, Xieng Khouang Province.  Ban Naphia is a traditional Lao Pouan village of 60 households. Right after the war, villagers began gathering aluminum from exploded bombs and made it into spoons. The villagers were taught this skill by a family that relocated to Ban Naphia from Houaphan Province, further north. In the early days, five families produced the recycled bomb spoons. Today, there are approximately 13 families producing more that 150,000 spoons per year from war and non-war scrap aluminum. Production has expanded to include bracelets, earrings, pendants and key chains.

It is important to note that of all the bombs dropped in Laos, 30% did not explode. Unexploded ordnance (UXO) continues to pose a significant threat to the safety of villagers in rural Lao.

Sacred by Design is committed to promoting safe gathering practices in villages, including supporting the efforts of Swiss NGO Helvetas to improve livelihood opportunities in Ban Naphia. Based on the interest in spoon making in Ban Naphia and nearby villages, Helvetas has embarked on a project to make recycled bomb production safer and more efficient.

Specifically, they support devLetelopment strategies to

• Improve kiln efficiency to reduce wood consumption
• Diversify the range of recycled bomb products and assist with market development
• Build a safe aluminum supply chain by providing villagers training on proper gathering techniques, and supporting the work of professional UXO clearing agencies