Angola To Host 'Miss Landmine Survivor' Pageant

Luanda, Angola (AHN)-Angola is staging a beauty contest on April 2 with landmine victims as participants in order to raise awareness of the plight of tens of thousands of people injured by landmines.

'Miss Landmine Survivor' is organized by National Commission for De-mining and Humanitarian Assistance (CNIDAH). "The objective of the contest is to restore self-esteem (in women maimed by the mines) and make them ambassadors for their own cause," said CNIDAH coordinator Madalena Neto.

Landmines planted in Angola during a 27-year civil war that ended in 2002 still litter the African nation. Landmine injuries are still commonplace and based on United Nations figures, around 23,000 Angolans have been wounded as a result of landmine explosions.