Every day, Veronica Ndumba walks the road from her village down to the Cuelei River in southern Angola, loaded with clothes and dishes to wash. Her father is the Soba, or village head, and they have lived here their whole lives.
The river is a vital resource for local residents but between the two bridges—connecting the city of Menongue with the southern reaches of Kuando Kubango province—lie the Cuelei minefields. Landmines were laid here during Angola’s Civil War to stop opposition forces attacking these important transport lines.
Veronica Ndumba is 22 years old, every day she walks the road from her village down to the Cuelei River, loaded with clothes and dishes to wash. But along the river bank lie the Cuelei minefields.
Sadly, Veronica knows only too well the importance of the river for keeping her family healthy. Less than a year ago she lost a child to illness and now ensures they bathe and wash clothes and diapers every day to prevent anyone else getting sick. But for many years the landmines have remained a deadly obstacle for families trying to reach this essential water source.
People use the river daily for bathing and to wash clothes and dishes. They need access that is safe and free from landmines.
In 2018, HALO began work at Cuelei to clear the minefields and, thanks to support from the UK Department for International Development, several safe pathways to reach the river have been opened up. We have also run risk education sessions to ensure local people only use the areas that are free from mines until work is completed. Veronica admits that until she attended the sessions, she used to cut through the dangerous land. Now she follows the safe paths and teaches the little ones only play on the cleared areas.
HALO began work to clear the land in 2018 and there are now safe pathways down to the river. After attending a risk education session, Veronica knows to teach the younger children to stick to the paths.
Both Veronica's family and the whole community are very relieved that HALO are destroying the mines so that in the future they will be able to walk along the river banks and reach the water without fear of accidents.
World Water Day: leaving no one behind
On the land that HALO has cleared on the banks of the River Cuelei, the government has begun the construction of a solar powered water pump. The pump system will bring water to distant homes where the walk to the river can take up to an hour, often carrying heavy loads of washing. This project will be a sustainable way of ensuring the two neighbouring villages have access to water—leaving no one behind.
