Arab Puppet Theatre Foundation and the Nobel Prize-winning humanitarian organisation Mines Advisory Group (MAG) teamed up for a special project, funded by World Without Mines, using the ancient art of shadow puppetry to help saving the lives of children affected by war.

Every day 19 people are killed or injured by landmines and unexploded bombs. Half of the civilian casualties are children. To target this important problem, APTF created a new series of shadow puppetry animations to deliver life-saving lessons to children living in the aftermath of war. The four films of each 60 seconds tell the story of Mou Mou - an inquisitive cow, who is injured after stepping on a landmine. All four episodes will be delivered in 14 countries around the globe to assist conflict-affected communities by raising awareness and educating specifically children about the dangers of unexploded bombs and landmines in a light-hearted way, even years after the end of war.

In collaboration with UNFPA-GCC and the Ministry of Social development in Muscat, APTF delivered a one-week advanced puppetry training for a group of social specialists from the Ministry. Using the skills they gained from the training, each group produced a small sketch tackling one social issue of their choice. Through feedback and evaluation, the participants have described this workshop to be very helpful through their work. Unlike other traditional awareness tools, they thought using puppetry and theatre is very effective and interactive.