Costa Rica Land Mine Victims Living in Serious Poverty in Cuidad Quesada, San Carlos.

The Costa Rican victims of land mines throughout the northern border are separated by a long distance but joined by a painful drama.

The difficult situation of Elizabeth Sandoval, in San Juan, Ciudad Quesada, is similar to what Carlos Ortega and Lucresia Sandoval, an elderly couple lives of San Isidro, Pocosol.

Although it’s been 14 to 16 years since the explosion they share a lifetime of misery, physical pain, hopelessness and traumas.

Nicaraguan rebel groups like the Sandinistas planted the land mines in the 80’s between Peñas Blancas and Cuenca of Sarapiqui. These mines have killed five Costa Ricans and mutilated another six. To avoid more tragedies between 1996 and 2002, a program was created to demine the area.

Difficulties:

Very close to the Costa Rican margins of the San Juan river, on a Sunday morning of June 16th 1992, Francisco Ramirez got his leg blown off by a land mine while cutting bananas. 100 meters away his wife Elizabeth Sandoval heard the explosion and ran to help him. Another land mine blew her leg off as well.

Her 11-year son Johnny, risking his life carefully entered the minefield and pulled them out. Today, 14 years later, she uses a string to hold what’s left of her leg onto the damaged prothesis. The original belt shattered in several pieces due to its long use.

“There’s no one who would give me a job, because of my disability,” said this mother of 5 kids who is depressed because she doesn’t have money to buy a new prothesis.

Her husband depressed due to his situation became an alcoholic, sold their house and left. “He never accepted his disability, so he started drinking to the point where he threatened to kill us if we didn’t let him sell the house, I preferred the safety of my children.”

Along with the absence of food, poverty affects them so much that they have to sleep on the floor because they don’t have enough beds and live in a borrowed house.

Meanwhile Carlos Ortega and his wife, who plant seeds for a living, survived an explosion on May 12th 1990 that killed their daughter leaving children behind. “Even though the splinters I still have on my feet hurt, I don’t have a choice, I have to bend down to plant my seeds, said the elderly lady.

From Adversity – A Farmer Pulls Himself Up.

La Victoria, Upala. On June 11th 1987, Giovanni Navas thought about committing suicide. A mine destroyed his left foot while he was hunting. He supposed he would never walk again. His involuntary rejection took him a year and a half to get use to his prothesis.

During this time he was very depressed. Convinced that he would never overcome this accident, one night when he couldn’t sleep because of the pain, he knew everything had to change. “Starting tomorrow, I will face by disability and stop hurting my family,” he said.

Since then he was determined to give his wife and children a better life and conditions changing his negative attitude.

Normal Life.

Nowadays, Navas physical limitation doesn’t prevent him from planting in his 3 acre plot or mowing the lawn. Thanks to his effort and a 45,000 colones per month (less than $100) pension, his oldest daughter studies English, and two others are in high school. Proudly he admits, “I proposed to my self that I was going to be strong and I’ve achieved it.”

548 Less Land Mines Border Program

The program to remove the mines throughout 172 kilometers in the north border was held October 1992 – 2002, allowed to detect and destroy 548 explosives.

Although they counted around 500,000 mines in Costa Rican grounds, 95% stayed in Nicaragua’s side after the new border division. With a cost of over 1,000 million colones, the OAS was in charge of this program with the help of the Costa Rican government and the Interamerican Committe Of Defense.

This program has helped save many lives and recover land.

Our thanks to Carlos Hernández P. and our friends at La Nación – Costa Rica’s largest Spanish circulation newspaper for their permission use this article.

Andrew Makarik

to@welovecostarica.com

Andrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.