NGO - APOPO?!

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APOPO is an interesting acronym, so I decided to do a research on this non governmental organization. APOPO stands for Anti-Personnel Landmines Detection Product Development. Members train giant African rats to detect landmines and tuberculosis. The NGO was founded by Bart Weetjens. His idea came into place because he loved to play with his pet rats when he was a little boy. Since he knew rats have a strong sense of smell, they can detect landmines, and it would be less cost effective. An advantage of using the African giant pouched rat is that it will not bond with its trainer, but it is willing to work for food, so switching trainers is not a problem. Also the lifespan of the rat ranges from six to eight years, and when its in a minefield, rats are very light, so it will not detonate a landmine. APOPO primarily operates in Tanzania, Mozambique, Thailand, Angola, and Cambodia because that's where headquarters were. However, when people request help from APOPO, they will not hesitate to support people in need of detecting landmines. In my opinion, this NGO is surprisingly making a difference. It is ranked one of the top 10's, and it will continue to get stronger because people are requesting aid everyday. To me, APOPO is helping by using rats instead of humans to detect landmines. Another thing is that the Hero Rats can detect tuberculosis, and it will not get sick for sniffing it. Tuberculosis is a very deadly disease that has been killing at least 1 million people a year (usually in poor countries). Consequently, APOPO is making a difference mainly in poor countries and countries who request help.

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