As the world experiences the traditional Season of Peace on Earth, many would be shocked to know that there are an estimated 1.5 million land mines and unexploded ordnance in The Holy Land today.

Sacred sites such as the birthplace and baptismal site of Jesus Christ are riddled with deadly seeds of hatred that prevent pilgrims from all three monotheistic faiths from safely walking the land.

It takes only 8 pounds to detonate a land mine, the average weight of a newborn child. No mother gives birth in a manger or anywhere else in the world to see their child lose a life or limb to a land mine.

There are an estimated 70 million land mines in 70 countries. A mother of four children, I know this first-hand, as I have walked the mine fields of the world with each of my children in countries such as Afghanistan, Angola, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Cambodia, Croatia, Israel, Palestine and Vietnam.

Returning home from such war-torn lands, our family has a deeper sense of appreciation for hiking the mountains or running the beaches of California without the fear of a land mine beneath our feet: This is freedom.

Inspired by the stories of 10,000 women and children who suffer the perils of land mines each year, my daughter, Kyleigh, raised more than 50 million pennies to build schools and soccer fields in Mir Batcha Kot and Bam Saray, Afghanistan, to restore their childhood dreams.

Thousands of Afghan children have benefited as a result of the empathy expressed by American students and the currency of their hearts.

An Israeli boy, Daniel Yuval, is another example of a child who inspired his country to turn tragedy into triumph. During a rare snowfall on Feb. 6, 2010, Daniel, age 11, stepped on a land mine while playing with his siblings in the Golan Heights.

White snowflakes had dusted over the LANDMINE WARNING signs, as hundreds of families frolicked in the winter wonderland. Bloodshed disrupted the laughter, as Daniel's father carried his young son in his arms with a blown off leg.

Shortly after the incident, Jerry White, co-recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize 1997, flew to California to ask me to accompany him to answer the call of a young boy who dreamed of a Mine-Free World.

Jerry had escorted the late Princess Diana to Bosnia, and had lost his own leg to a land mine in The Golan. In his opinion, the heart of a mother was the answer to Daniel's dream.

Together, we helped bring forth unanimous legislation at The Knesset for the Mine Action Bill in 2011. And this year Roots of Peace made history by removing land mines from three acres in The Fields of Bethlehem with both Israeli and Palestinian de-miners working with an American mother.

Eight children had died in this same field, and a shepherd, Abu-Zahir, age 78, lost his right arm to a land mine.

As the story was told more than 2000 years ago, an angel appeared to the shepherd proclaiming "Glory be to God, and peace to his people on earth." There is no peace on earth when there are land mines in the ground.

This year, all I want for Christmas is to raise $1 million to remove all land mines in The Fields of Bethlehem.

It all began with a child...

Heidi Kuhn of San Rafael is founder and CEO of Roots of Peace (, which strives to plant vineyards and orchards where land mines now menace residents. She wrote this for this newspaper.