LANDMINE &

EXPLOSIVE

ORDNANCE

RISK

AWARENESS

On a visit linked to the 2015 refugee crisis in Greece, No Strings founder Johnie McGlade earned himself a new nickname. Helping a group of young Afghan doctors navigate the aisles of an Athens supermarket, Johnie mentioned ChucheQhalin – No Strings’ first film.

Chuchi! Of course they remembered Chuchi – the puppet made of carpet who becomes a real boy when he learns about landmines. It was on TV in Afghanistan all the time when they were growing up. Everyone watched it!

And so Chuchi became the name they greeted Johnie with every day.

It is believed that several million mines and unexploded cluster bombs lie scattered throughout Afghanistan, killing or injuring untold numbers of civilians.

ChucheQhalin was dubbed into Dari and Pashtu in 2005 in Kabul, and has been seen by countless thousands of Afghan children on TV or through outreach visits, children who because of their size and their playtime routines make up the highest number of landmine casualties.

  • A Boy with his kite on the edge of a minefield above Kabul.

  • No Strings’ Patron Neil Morrissey with puppet Chuchi and landmine survivor, Kabul.

  • Outreach film-screening session, Kabul.

  • No Strings founder Johnie McGlade with de-mining team, Kabul hillside.

  • Film set. Two evil, shape-shifting djins inspired by Afghan folklore.

CHUCHEQHALIN: CLIP
The Story of the Little Carpet Boy

ChucheQhalin, The Story of the Little Carpet Boy, tells how an old woman lost her only grandson in a landmine accident. Sad and lonely, she weaves herself a new child out of carpet, who magically comes to life. Chuchi is lovable but headstrong, and the old woman lives in fear that her carpet-boy grandson will ignore her warnings about the landmines that lie and hidden in their corner of Afghanistan.

While based on local Afghan folklore, we hope that the film will ignite the imaginations of children anywhere in the world where explosive ordnance are prevalent, and help to keep them safe.

The Story

  • Once, on a big mountain, lived a lonely grandmother whose only grandson was killed by a landmine. She weaves herself a little boy made of carpet to cherish in her old age, and he is brought to life by an Afghan fairy, a Peri.

  • Chuchi cannot become a real boy until he learns how to live safely among landmines. Jaladul the camel will help him. But when two djins ask him to look for treasure (in a minefield), adventure-seeking Chuchi is only too willing.

  • Chuchi replaces his lost legs with cooking ladles, only to become injured again when a giant dew lures him into further landmine danger. Fortunately, because this is a story, and not real life, Chuchi is able to recover once more.

  • With Jaladul's help, Chuchi finds safety and finally learns his lessons: to keep away from overgrown paths, never to go into unused buildings, how to retrace footsteps when in danger and isolated, and so forth.

  • The Peri returns and transforms Chuchi into a real boy. The story is loosely based on Pinochio, who must prove he is brave, unselfish and trustworthy before he can be made real, and incorporates many Afghan foklore characters.

  • Chuchi and his grandmother can finally live happily ever after. There are many moments in the film where the audience is called upon to help Chuchi, and embrace the messages of safety that he so reluctantly learns.