HALO Trust Foundation clearing mines
Colombian children are being taught by a non-profit organization how to identify landmines placed near their communities by armed guerrilla groups during the country’s long civil war.
The HALO Trust Foundation has created since 2013 programs to deactivate anti-personnel mines in the regions of Antioquia, Meta, Tolima, Cauca, Valle del Cauca, Nariño and Putumayo. So far, they have been able to declare 900 free of mines.
They also teach children and their communities about the risks of the mines, how to spot them, and what to do if they find one.
“Younger people do not know how to correctly identify explosive artefacts. This has always been and still is a concern,” said community leader Juliana Arango.
According to the HALO Trust Foundation, since 1990 around 12,000 people have been injured or died in Colombia because of undetonated explosives.