Who are we?

Restoration Laos was started in 2022 by Michael and Darreby Ambler.  The Amblers first visited Laos as tourists over a dozen years ago. Since then, they have deepened their understanding and appreciation for the country, and learned of the daily danger posed by U.S. weapons still contaminating the land 50 years after the Vietnam War.  Michael (at center right, at dinner with the bomb team and support staff) is a priest of the Episcopal Church and a beginning Lao language student.  Darreby runs a life coaching program and is completing a novel for middle schoolers. Restoration Laos is a non-profit incorporated in the State of Maine and is a tax exempt public charity under Internal Revenue Code sec. 501(c)(3).

Restoration Laos is small and close to the ground. Unlike government officials and representatives of other big institutions, we can spend time with and get to know people in the communities we serve, as well as members of our bomb team. 

One of my personal best moments happened one evening at dinner with our team. One of my colleagues from MAG was talking about the impact of Restoration Laos-not just on the community, but on the team. I said something polite, like how much I appreciated the team's hospitality. My colleague interrupted, and said with intensity, "you don't understand. When you come here you don't act like a boss. You spend time with the team, you like our food, you are learning our language. That has never happened before."

It's a huge privilege to do this work, much as I wish the work were not needed. And it occurs to me that our mission of Restoration has more dimensions than even I knew. 

Mines Advisory Group works around the world to clear the explosive remnants of war.  From Ukraine to Sri Lanka to Angola and beyond, MAG restores safety, prosperity, and dignity to people who would otherwise have to live with the danger of sudden, violent death from conflicts that are supposed to be over.  Laos is the most heavily bombed country, per capita, in all of history, and its operation in Laos is MAG's biggest program.

MAG trains, equips, and manages the work of Restoration Laos' team of bomb clearance experts.