MAG America, Inc.

MAG America's mission is to save lives and build safer futures by supporting the work of Mines Advisory Group (MAG). MAG finds and destroy landmines, cluster munitions and unexploded bombs in places affected by conflict. Since 1989, we have helped over 18 million people in 68 countries rebuild their lives and livelihoods after war.

By removing unexploded landmines and unexploded bombs from land, we enable communities to grow more food and make a better living, access better health services, and send their children to school on secure paths. MAG has found and destroyed more than 700 landmines and unexploded items per day – day in and day out – for 30 years. That’s 5,000 items each week for over a quarter of a century.

MAG focuses on landmines, unexploded ordnance (UXO), cluster munitions, and other dangerous remnants of conflict. MAG employs a variety of experts, as well as local citizens to identify and deactivate these hazardous materials. MAG's landmine clearance work is a structured process for returning safe land to the local community. Mines are found and destroyed within an environment organized to provide safety for the deminers, including clearly marking to differentiate cleared and un-cleared land.

MAG also provides risk education that aims to reach the greatest possible number of people with lifesaving information on how to recognize, avoid and report threats like landmines and unexploded bombs. Raising awareness of the threat and working directly with communities helps change behaviors and reduces the risk of death or injury. Classes are designed to be gender and age appropriate, context-specific and address behaviors that can lead to accidents. These risk education classes include how to recognize landmines, how to report a dangerous item, what to do in an emergency, the known areas of contamination, and more.

MAG also focuses on helping national police and armed forces create a safe and secure storage system for arms and ammunition to prevent accidental explosions and theft after conflict ends. When requested by the national government of a particular country, MAG first conducts surveys and assessments; based on the findings from the survey and depending on the needs of the host country, MAG can help construct or secure armories, destroy surplus weapons, or provide safety training for relevant personnel.

MAG America has 6 full-time staff positions. MAG International has an international staff of over 2,500. MAG International employs a number of Technical Field Managers (TFMs) with previous experience in Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD), mine clearance, and arms management and destruction (AMD). MAG also hires and trains local nationals to work in a variety of essential roles, such as: deminers, community liaisons, medics, and team leaders.

MAG receives much of its funding through the US government and other national governments. Most of MAG America's funding comes from the Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement (WRA), a division of the State Department. Funding also comes from USAID, as well as from foundations, corporations, and individual donors.

Millions of people have directly benefited from MAG's work. In 2023 alone, MAG destroyed more than 58,000 landmines and unexploded bombs, safely returned over 21,500 acres of land back to communities, and provided 30,000 risk education sessions that were attended by over 430,000 people, with over 1.4 million people benefitting from our work, allowing them to live free from fear.

60 million people are impacted by the landmines and unexploded ordnance in their communities. Until people and communities can build peaceful and prosperous futures in a world free from the dangerous legacy of conflict, MAG America will continue to expand our reach and help.