Plea for funds to help boy injured by landmine
by Fiona Tyrrell

The Irish Times
September 13, 2004

A Co Clare man is fronting an appeal to help finance plastic surgery
for a child survivor of a landmine accident in Abkhazia, on the
borders of Russia and Georgia.

Anri Nachkebia (10), lost part of his face, an eye, a hand and a foot
two years ago when he picked up an anti-personnel mine and started
playing with it.

He is having problems breathing through his nose and he needs surgery
to relieve this as well as a prosthetic eye.

Clare-born Mr David McMahon, a programme manager based in Georgia
with the Halo Trust, a non-profit organisation which specialises in
the removal of mines, yesterday appealed for help for Anri.

A native of Newmarket-on-Fergus, Mr McMahon has been working with
Halo since 1999 and has worked on de-mining projects in Cambodia,
Kosovo, Afghanistan and Nagorno Karabak.

It is estimated that some 20,000 mines were planted in Abkhazia during
the 1992-93 war with Georgia.

Mr McMahon came across Anri during a rehabilitation camp for the
child survivors of landmine accidents this summer.

Anri has received a prosthetic leg from the Red Cross but his bones
are growing and he will need another operation on his leg soon,
Mr McMahon said.

“We were all touched by this boy, who had such severe injuries. We
need about $5,000 to send him to Armenia where he can be operated on.”

Staff of Halo Abkhazia plan to contribute $1,000 towards the cost of
the operation. Over 360 people have been killed or injured in mine
accidents since the war ended.

Aside from this, the mines were planted in the most fertile areas
and deny people the fundamental right to use their land, he explained.

“This is the war that the world has forgotten about,” Mr McMahon added.

“Ireland is doing really well at the moment, but there are a lot less
fortunate people living on the periphery of the EU.

“You don’t have to go to Africa to see extreme poverty,” said Mr
McMahon.

Donations can be made to The Anri Fund, Halo Trust, PO Box 7905,
Thornhill, DG3 5WA, United Kingdom.

A donation to the fund can also be made on-line at
“”>