Update on HALO's response in Ukraine

The bloody war in Ukraine has now raged on for over a month, and civilians have suffered the most. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, over 10 million people in Ukraine have been displaced from their homes. The use of landmines and explosive weapons has been widespread, and many remain unexploded, waiting to claim unsuspecting civilians as victims.

In times of crisis, we don’t turn our backs to those who need help the most. Your support is helping us scale up our operations to assist the international humanitarian response and address the contamination of unexploded items. We are utilizing our vehicles, supplies, medics, and resources to assist the United Nations and other aid agencies in reaching families impacted most by the fighting.

Thanks to you, we are making a real impact for Ukrainian families.

HALO continues to support the humanitarian effort on the ground by delivering aid and supplies to local community centers across Ukraine. Our local expertise allows us to reach families in areas where few other international aid organizations can go. Just last week, we delivered three truckloads of baby food, diapers, and household supplies to Kramatorsk, a city in Donbas that is only 30 miles from the frontlines of eastern Ukraine.

Our highest priority has been to support the welfare of our 400+ locally employed Ukrainians. Thanks to the generous support of our donors, we continue to pay their salaries, allowing them to feed and house their families. As we scale up operations, we plan to increase the size of our team and help more locals find meaningful employment.

Explosive weapons like cluster munitions regularly fail to detonate, leaving unsuspecting civilians vulnerable during and after the fighting. Since March, HALO has been reaching out to civilians and warning them what these hazards look like and how to avoid them. Our messaging has reached over 40 million people in Ukraine.

HALO is leveraging innovative technology to locate and map unexploded bombs and rockets. Through partnerships with firms like Esri, we are using cutting-edge geographic information system (GIS) software, expertise, and staffing to support HALO’s mission in Ukraine. We are mapping areas contaminated with explosives so we can remove unexploded bombs and rockets when conditions allow. It is also allowing humanitarian aid organizations and refugees to know where it is safe to travel.