Mission Statement
Our mission is to protect lives and restore the livelihoods of those affected by conflict.
For over thirty years, we’ve been saving lives and helping war-torn communities recover, by making their land safe.
When conflict ends, land is all too often littered with landmines and other dangerous explosives. Families live in fear and poverty. They can’t plant crops or graze cattle and day-to-day activities like getting to school and fetching water are fraught with risk. True peace doesn’t come until their land is safe.
We do this by recruiting and training local men and women to clear landmines in their own communities. With their earnings, they can rebuild their lives. Some buy livestock, others plant crops or even start a business. They are once again in control of their own destiny.
We are proud that 98% of our 8,600 employees globally come from the communities we serve.
Program Description
Laos is the ‘most bombed country’ in the world per capita, as a result of heavy aerial attacks in the 60s and 70s during the Vietnam War. Although Laos People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) is committed to removing the bombs, the scale of the problem continues to put lives at risk.
Around 20,000 people—40 per cent of them children—have been killed or injured by cluster bombs or other unexploded items in Laos since the war ended.
Our work is focused in Savannaket Province, where 70 per cent of the population lives below the poverty line. Most families are almost entirely dependent on growing rice, but unexploded bombs make cultivating rice potentially life threatening.
With thanks to the support of the U.S. Department of State and the UK Government, our team of over 660 people (99 per cent local staff) destroy an average of 1,170 unexploded bombs each month.
For more news and information, please visit our programme page:
https://www.halotrust.org/where-we-work/south-asia/laos/
Contact Details
Contact Person:
Cameron Imber Programme Manager:
Cameron Imber Address:
Route 9, Huoy Cheng Khao, Sepon, Savannakhet District, Lao PDR