39-year-old Christina Theim Jensen literally lives and works in a minefield. As a Danish Refugee Council employee she is based in Colombia, where in average one mine accident is happening every day. The country is one of the world's most heavily mined but demining is lagging behind. Now, the Danish Refugee Council's demining unit is launching projects to address the extensive mine threat in Latin America.

When a soda can is lying on the ground in Colombia, it is not necessarily simple waste. It may well be a homemade mine. Colombia is one of the world's most heavily mined countries, with new mines appearing constantly.

"It is a huge challenge to embark on mine cleareance in Colombia. But it is also a great vote of confidence from the Colombian authorities, when they invite us to help them solve this enormous problem that the pollution from land mines is constituting, "says Christina Theim Jensen, project manager in Colombia working for the Danish Refugee Council’s demining unit, the Danish Demining Group.

Christina Theim Jensen origins from Copenhagen in Denmark, but has a long history with Latin America and has previously been stationed abroad. This time Colombia is brought into focus with the new humanitarian demining activities initiated through the Danish Demining Group.

For decades, landmines have been used in Colombia in the conflict between the military and armed insurgent groups. Today, widespread occupation of land is taking place as part of the conflict and mines are often used by insurgent groups to keep the land they have settled on.

In Colombia, many people are living off the land. When they suddenly no longer have access to their land because of mines, they are forced to flee their homes and find other places to live. Currently, an estimated 3.4 million people are internally displaced in the country because of ongoing fighting, but also due to the leathal mine hazards that come with the conflict.

"We need to work on both mine clearance and mine risk education in local communities. As soon as there is no longer fighting in an area we can begin our efforts there," says Christina Theim Jensen from the Danish Demining Group.

Taking up challenges beyond the ordinary is something Christina Theim Jensen knows very well. A few years ago she decided to emigrate. But before that Christina Theim Jensen wanted to get to know the country she was about to leave. She rented a horse and rode around the country for two months - from one end to the other. And in the end, she decided to stay a little longer in Denmark anyway.

Now, she travels abroad, not as emigrant, but to lead the Danish Demining Group's new efforts in Colombia. The Danish Demining Group is the Danish Refugee Council's demining unit, working in 10 regions worldwide in Africa and Asia, and now also in Latin America.

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