Stories of Transformation and Hope
Welcome to the first ever Holiday edition of The Minesweeper! I’m excited to share some recent stories and achievements that have really inspired me - and I think they’ll inspire you, too.
Lately, it can be easy to feel weighed down by the negativity we see in the news and online. But as we wrap up 2024, I can’t help but feel incredibly encouraged by the strength of the HALO community and the powerful difference we are making together. THANK YOU for being a part of this!
I hope you’ll take a moment to read on and see for yourself the real difference you are making for families and communities.
Wishing you a very Happy Holidays!
Sincerely,
Lisa Balestrieri
After more than a decade, a school in Mesones, Colombia has re-opened after HALO deminers worked painstakingly for years to clear the surrounding area from landmines. This incredible achievement is a powerful example of the transformative difference the HALO Family continues to make.
Click here to read more about the school’s re-opening and to check out the super cute photo gallery of the students and teachers giving the school a fresh coat of paint and creating this mural.
From Danger to Dreams: Education Returns to Mesones
By reconnecting villages and paving the way for development, life-saving landmine clearance made it possible to reopen the Mesones School. For the first time in more than a decade, children and teachers have returned.
10 years ago, the town of Jebrail, Afghanistan, was a desolate and dangerous place. Today it is unrecognizable. The streets are lined with trees. Schools and health clinics serve a vibrant community of 80,000 people. Read the full story of Jebrail's transformation and see how your generosity helps communities not only to survive- but thrive.
Your generous support on #GivingTuesday helped us raise nearly $25,000 for communities plagued by landmines. Every dollar you donated during #HALOGivingWeek not only will protect the men, women, and children who have to worry about stepping on a landmine, but has been matched 100% by a HALO Ambassador.
Watch your personal thank you video from HALO CEO James Cowan.
There is still time this year to support HALO’s end of year giving campaign, Clearing the Path for Transformation. Read the stories of transformation, and DONATE before December 31.
Note: Many people choose to give from assets like stocks, gifts from their IRA, cryptocurrency, and from their Donor-Advised Funds to see even larger tax savings. For more info, contact lisa.balestrieri@halousa.org.
HALO El Salvador held a small workshop with children from Sisiguayo School, located in the heart of the Xiriualtique reserve. The workshop taught the children about HALO’s mangrove restoration projects, emphasizing the vital role mangroves play in protecting ecosystems. The children learned about how important it is to take care of the natural world around them, got to meet with the HALO El Salvador team, and made some incredible drawings at the same time!
Left: Mangrove restoration in El Salvador. Right: Children in El Salvador draw their creative interpretation of the Mangrove Restoration Project.
HALO teams in Libya have been working tirelessly to clear Jeeza Navy of explosive ordnance since 2019. So far, they have safely removed 759 explosive items, including hand grenades, mortars, and projectiles. Families like Salha’s are still hopeful they can one day return home. And HALO is working hard to make that a reality.
Safe Land, Safe Home
Read more about HALO’s work in Jeeza Navy, Iraq.
“I want my family and the rest of Jeeza Navy residents to return,” Salha said. “We miss our neighbors—we were so close to each other, as if we were all one big family.”
HALO’s mechanical team clearing access roads in Jeeza Navy. Left: the excavator moving rubble to inspection site. Right: a deminer raking through the rubble to search for explosive ordnance items.
This year, Kosovo celebrated the 25th anniversary of the end of the devastating Kosovo War. HALO’s clearance in Kosovo has made such a difference for families still living with unexploded ordnance decades after the end of the fighting. Schonstedt Magnetic Locators – well-known for their precision and ruggedness, have been an instrumental part of HALO’s work in Kosovo, and we are grateful for their partnership.
“I have been working with the Schonstedt locator for 22 years. It’s very practical and precise, and the four settings are easy to understand. It is also the most suitable due to its size and weight. Thanks to this locator, hundreds of sub-munitions have been found and destroyed and many lives saved.”
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HALO USA is now on Instagram! Follow us @halotrustusa to hear stories and news specifically for our US and Canada supporters. And make sure to share with your friends and family!
