Benetech’s humanitarian landmine detector project is currently
on hold. We have been unable to gain access to the technology
we had hoped to adapt for this application. We continue to seek access
to the technology, but we have come to the realization that this will
not lead in the near term to a usable explosives sensor. Our team members
on the project have moved on to other jobs, but continue to be interested
in serving in a volunteer capacity if we make progress
on technology access.
We learned a great deal about the humanitarian demining
field, thanks to the work of our team and the cooperation
of deminers themselves. Jennifer Bilec-Sullivan wrote
an in-depth report for Benetech, titled Technical
and non-technical considerations when developing and
implementing new technology for the humanitarian mine
action community.
We have posted it on the Benetech website in the hopes
of assisting other people working in the field.
Benetech has also written “lessons
learned” essay that
is also available on our website. We believe in taking
risks in addressing social problems. Sharing what we’ve learned
is important for both successful and unsuccessful projects.
We found analyzing our process helpful, and hope that
sharing it will be useful for other social entrepreneurs.
