Donate
Skip to content
The HALO Trust
Contact Us | Recruitment | Media Enquiries
Donate
  • What we do

    • What we do

    • Our work

      • Our work

      • Teaching people to stay safe

      • Managing weapons and ammunition

      • Clearing landmines and explosives

    • Our impact

      • Our impact

      • Protecting lives

      • Making land safe

      • Creating jobs

      • Empowering women

    Our work

    • Teaching people to stay safe
    • Managing weapons and ammunition
    • Clearing landmines and explosives

    Our impact

    • Protecting lives
    • Making land safe
    • Creating jobs
    • Empowering women

    Featured

    Beyond Bombs Podcast

  • Where we work

    • Where we work

    • Africa

      • Africa

      • Angola

      • Cote D’Ivoire

      • Ethiopia

      • Ghana

      • Guinea Bissau

      • Kenya

      • Malawi

      • Mauritania

      • Mozambique

      • Nigeria

      • Somalia and Somaliland

      • Togo

      • Zimbabwe

    • Europe and Caucasus

      • Europe and Caucasus

      • Kosovo

      • Moldova

      • Nagorno Karabakh

      • Ukraine

    • South Asia

      • South Asia

      • Cambodia

      • Laos

      • Myanmar

      • Solomon Islands

      • Sri Lanka

    • Central Asia

      • Central Asia

      • Afghanistan

    • Latin America

      • Latin America

      • Colombia

      • El Salvador

      • Guatemala

      • Honduras

    • Middle East

      • Middle East

      • Iraq

      • Libya

      • Syria

      • West Bank

      • Yemen

    Africa

    • Angola
    • Cote D’Ivoire
    • Ethiopia
    • Ghana
    • Guinea Bissau
    • Kenya
    • Malawi
    • Mauritania
    • Mozambique
    • Nigeria
    • Somalia and Somaliland
    • Togo
    • Zimbabwe

    Europe and Caucasus

    • Kosovo
    • Moldova
    • Nagorno Karabakh
    • Ukraine

    South Asia

    • Cambodia
    • Laos
    • Myanmar
    • Solomon Islands
    • Sri Lanka

    Central Asia

    • Afghanistan

    Latin America

    • Colombia
    • El Salvador
    • Guatemala
    • Honduras

    Middle East

    • Iraq
    • Libya
    • Syria
    • West Bank
    • Yemen

    Featured

    Beyond Bombs Podcast

  • About us

    • About us

    • Who we are

      • Who we are

      • Our history

      • Our people

      • Our partners

      • Stichting HALO Europe

    • Governance

      • Governance

      • Our trustees

      • Medical governance

      • Policies and safeguarding

      • Reports and strategy

    Who we are

    • Our history
    • Our people
    • Our partners
    • Stichting HALO Europe

    Governance

    • Our trustees
    • Medical governance
    • Policies and safeguarding
    • Reports and strategy

    Featured

    Beyond Bombs Podcast

  • Get involved

    • Get involved

    • Give

      • Give

      • Donate now

      • Donate monthly

      • Legacy giving

      • Corporate giving

      • Fundraising promise

    • Raise money

      • Raise money

      • Events and ideas

    • Join us

      • Join us

      • Newsletter sign up

    Give

    • Donate now
    • Donate monthly
    • Legacy giving
    • Corporate giving
    • Fundraising promise

    Raise money

    • Events and ideas

    Join us

    • Newsletter sign up

    Featured

    Beyond Bombs Podcast

  • Latest

    • Latest

    • Special Projects

      • Special Projects

      • Baptism Site

      • 100 Women in Demining in Angola

      • Protecting the Okavango

      • The Border Project

      • Cultivating Peace in the Horn of Africa

      • Women in WAM

    • HALO Updates

      • HALO Updates

      • News

      • Stories

      • Historias de America Latina

      • Beyond Bombs Podcast

      • In the media

    Special Projects

    • Baptism Site
    • 100 Women in Demining in Angola
    • Protecting the Okavango
    • The Border Project
    • Cultivating Peace in the Horn of Africa
    • Women in WAM

    HALO Updates

    • News
    • Stories
    • Historias de America Latina
    • Beyond Bombs Podcast
    • In the media

    Featured

    Beyond Bombs Podcast

  • Contact Us

  • Recruitment

  • Media Enquiries

Donate

Secretary of State for International Development visits HALO

5th July 2018

Today we were delighted to welcome Penny Mordaunt, Secretary of State for International Development, to visit HALO’s offices in Salisbury.

"I've come to Salisbury today to see first hand the amazing work ‎done by the demining charity The HALO Trust. Landmines are indiscriminate killers. They have maimed and killed 100,000 people around the world in the last 20 years. HALO set up an office in Salisbury last year and is helping to support the economy of this great British city."
She was keen to learn more about our work around the world and gain a fuller understanding of the mine clearance process.
"HALO, which UK Aid helps to fund, is working on the frontline in Afghanistan, Cambodia and Sri Lanka, to clear mines and make some of the world's most fragile countries safer places to live. Landmines stop‎ families and communities from using land that could be put to use to grow food and graze livestock, crippling local economies."

PENNY MORDAUNT LEARNS MINE CLEARANCE PROCEDURES

Susanna Smale, HALO's Training Manager, briefs Penny Mordaunt on our mine clearance process.

CEO, JAMES COWAN, EXPLAINS THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF MINES

James Cowan, explaining the different types of mines that are found in post- conflict zones around the world.

SUPPORT FROM UK AID IS PROMOTING TECHNICAL INNOVATION TO HELP SAVE LIVES

At a recent speech at Chatham House, Penny Morduant spoke of the way UK Aid is funding technological developments to help some of the world’s most vulnerable people: "With new technology we have breathtaking possibilities, new solutions to old problems.”

HALO has a strong tradition of partnering with British technology and engineering companies to find new solutions to meet the evolving challenges of mine clearance across the world. Today we were were joined by our partners and suppliers from MMD, JCB, Cobham and FAUN Trackway who were able to demonstrate to the Secretary of State the profound benefits of our collaboration.

MMD AND HALO

In 2012, HALO began a collaboration with MMD to develop a custom-made sizer rig to revolutionise mine clearance in Zimbabwe. With support from Westbury, ABB, Siemens and Conveyor Units, MMD has designed, built and donated the new sizer to HALO. The machine processes excavated soil using two 350 Series Sizers—ensuring any mines contained in the soil are crushed—and is strong enough to withstand mines detonating. It is estimated MMD’s creation will be able to destroy more than 100,000 landmines in Zimbabwe by 2025. Their expertise and generous donation will mean land can be returned to farmers sooner, children will no longer risk their lives walking to school through mined land and valuable cattle will not be lost to accidents.

COBHAM AND HALO

Cobham is a leading expert in developing advanced Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) detection systems to support mine clearance and have been working with HALO in Cambodia since 2012. HALO currently uses Cobham’s hand-held MINEHOUND detector with its unique ability to detect metallic, minimum metal and non-metallic landmines. MINEHOUND allows HALO to reduce the amount of metal clutter that would otherwise need to be removed by hand. It reduces the False Alarm Rate by more than 95 per cent, ensuring a quicker, more efficient minefield clearance. We are also working together to trial new systems to provide ever-improved solutions to landmine clearance, including the Amulet Robot which can be operated remotely to detect landmines.

JCB AND HALO

JCB has a history of helping countries affected by major natural disasters, providing equipment to support relief and rebuilding efforts following the earthquakes in Nepal, Indonesia, Chile, Pakistan and Haiti and in the Philippines in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan. Their vehicles, designed to operate in the toughest of environments, have been specially adapted to help HALO clear landmines in countries across the globe, including our longest running programme in Afghanistan. JCB Dealer Scot JCB has been proudly supporting the charity for many years, supplying both new and used equipment.

FAUN TRACKWAY AND HALO

HALO and our engineering partners are always looking at new possibilities and how existing technology can be adapted. FAUN Trackway first developed temporary roadway solutions for military use worldwide but are increasingly supplying them to the humanitarian sector. For example, creating access routes or establishing hubs following natural disasters. Their trackway can be rapidly deployed and joined together to form infinite lengths, allowing access across hostile environments as well as creating a stable base for heavy machinery.

MEETING MEMBERS OF HALO'S MEDICAL GROUP

The Secretary of State met with Dr. Paul Ransom, head of HALO's Medical Group, and Dr. Gail Ng, Medical Group member. HALO's Medical Group are a fundamental part of our operations around the world, developing the medical standards we need to ensure the health and safety of all our staff and creating the training programmes for our minefield paramedics. They volunteer their time and vast expertise and are integral to supporting HALO's 8,000 global staff.

PENNY MORDAUNT AND THE HALO TEAM

It was an honour to be able to welcome Penny Mordaunt to our office in Salisbury and to introduce her to some of our partners from the British technology and engineering sector. The support and collaboration of these companies is fundamental in allowing HALO to meet the ever evolving challenges of mine clearance as we work towards a landmine free world.

Share this article

Useful Info

  • Policies and safeguarding
  • FAQs
  • Tenders

Get Involved

  • Donate now
  • Raise money

Get In Touch

  • Contact us
  • Press office
Sitemap | Terms of use | Privacy policy | Cookies Policy
The HALO Trust | Copyright © 2025
Sign up for our newsletter
Visit our HALO USA website

CARRONFOOT, THORNHILL, DUMFRIES, DG3 5BF

The HALO Trust is a company limited by guarantee. Registered in England No. 2228587. Registered Charity No. 1001813 and (in Scotland) SC037870. Registered Office: One Bartholomew Close, Barts Square, London EC1A 7BL

The HALO Trust (USA), Inc. is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization US Federal Tax ID Number 52-2158152
Office: 1730 Rhode Island Ave NW, Suite 206, Washington, DC 20036 

By registering for our updates, or making a donation to us, you expressly agree to your information being used by The HALO Trust and The HALO Trust (USA), Inc. in accordance with our privacy protection policy. You can unsubscribe at any time.

We now have a dedicated website for visitors in the USA and Canada.

Visit dedicated site