Marshall Legacy Institute: Mine Detection Dog Partnership Program (MDDPP) and Children Against Mines Program (CHAMPS)

The Marshall Legacy Institute (MLI) was founded in 1997, the 50th Anniversary year of the Marshall Plan, to celebrate the work of General George C. Marshall, and to extend his vision and legacy to address 21 st Century problems. The charter of the organization is to build local capacity to help alleviate human suffering, restore hope and nurture stability in post-conflict societies. Since landmines present a major obstacle to hope, growth and stability in a third of the world's countries, the Institute's current focus is on providing resources and training to help severely contaminated countries free their land of mines.

Two major projects of MLI are the Mine Detection Dog Partnership Program (MDDPP) and Children Against Mines Program (CHAMPS). Through the MDDPP, private funds are raised to provide highly trained mine detection dogs to countries in need. The US Department of State provides matching funds to train and equip local handlers to insure the safe and effective integration of the dog teams into national mine action programs. In 2005, seven lifesaving dogs were provided to Azerbaijan, twelve to Bosnia and seven to Sri Lanka.

CHAMPS seeks to foster a sense of global citizenship among American youth by teaching them about the landmine issue and how dogs are part of the solution to the problem. The CHAMPS Team, led by Kimberly McCasland with retired mine detection dog Rosa, travels around the country to deliver landmine presentations and dog demonstrations. Together, they encourage schoolchildren and neighboring civic organizations to get involved and to help others in faraway places. They also share wonderful stories of children and communities around the country taking action to sponsor and name their own mine detection dogs to "sniff out" mines and save lives in the neediest of countries.