Landmine charity's lifesaving work supported

The Halo Trust, the world's largest landmine clearance charity headquartered in southern Scotland, has secured funding to continue its work in Ukraine and Afghanistan. The UK government has provided over £7 million to support its efforts in clearing deadly explosives worldwide.

International Development Minister Annaliese Dodds visited the organization's headquarters near Thornhill in Dumfries and Galloway, witnessing their demining training firsthand. She stated, "No one should live in fear of being killed or maimed by taking a wrong step. These deadly devices bring decades of fear and destruction, and organizations like the Halo Trust play a vital role in removing landmines."

In addition to extending contracts in Ukraine and Afghanistan, the Minister also announced £250,000 for Somaliland to deal with insecure munitions and explosives. Ms. Dodds said this funding should enable the Halo Trust to continue its "life-saving work removing deadly devices from some of the most dangerous places in the world." As part of her visit, she also spoke with Syrian and Ukrainian female deminers working in the Trust's operations room.

She added, "During my visit today, I gained a deep understanding of the challenging conditions in which Halo deminers work. I was struck by the increasingly important contribution of female deminers in a traditionally male-dominated field." Since its founding in 1988, the Halo Trust has cleared 2 million landmines and other explosives, estimated to have saved 2 million lives, and made access to schools, clinics, and farmland safer for over 10 million people.

Ruth Jackson, the Trust's Chief Strategy Officer, said, "Conflicts cannot truly recover until all deadly unexploded landmines and munitions are safely removed." She stated that this funding will have a "huge impact" on the thousands of people facing "dangerous levels of explosive contamination." She also said, "Until the last landmine is removed from the ground and the last bomb is dismantled, large numbers of people will continue to live in fear. We will continue to work with the Mine Advisory Group and other partners on our life-saving work until that is achieved."