For 30 years, HALO has been clearing minefields and making land safe for millions of people affected by conflict across the world. Thanks to our generous supporters and the dedicated work of our deminers we have been able to ensure vulnerable families no longer face the stark choice of farming mined land or going hungry, children no longer risk their lives walking through a minefield to school and displaced communities have been able to return home. On Mine Awareness Day we bring you the story of the villagers of Maharsrob. Once described as ‘The Most Mined Village in Cambodia,’ Maharsrob's transformation following clearance by HALO, shows how making land safe changes lives.
When HALO first arrived in the village of Maharsrob in Cambodia we met a small boy navigating the dusty paths on a single wooden crutch. His name was Chaom Tauv and he was just 11 years old. He had lost his left leg to a military rocket as a baby but every day he would follow his siblings down a narrow track to fetch water from the village pond, whilst all around lay deadly landmines.
Photographs by Alison Locke. Left: Chaom Tauv aged 11 accompanying his siblings to fetch water from the heavily mined area surrounding the village pond. Six people were killed here before HALO cleared it. Right: Chaom Tauv photographed in 1999.
Located just 1000 meters from the Thai border, the village had been occupied by different factions during Cambodia’s 30 years of conflict. A strategic stronghold during the fighting between the Khmer Rouge and government forces, the village was mined by all sides. Even after the fighting ended, the villagers were effectively trapped, completely surrounded by landmines and unable to farm their own land. The school was closed, and work was scarce. Six villagers had been killed by mines and 21 suffered devastating injuries.
HALO began preparations to clear Maharsrob, advertising for locals to be trained as deminers. On the very first day, 86 men showed up for just ten jobs—among them Chaom’s father. Work began, and between 1999 and 2014, over 9,300 anti-personnel mines were cleared from the village and surrounding fields. Finally, the community could walk freely, no longer held captive by lethal landmines. HALO was also able to build a new school hut and fund two teachers, allowing Chaom and his friends to return to lessons.
Photograph by Alison Locke. A Cambodian deminer at work in Marharsrob.
Sixteen years later the village is unrecognisable. Children play in the pond that was once surrounded by deadly landmines. Gone are the pegs marking pathways through the mines, all around are signs of life. Chaom is now 27 years old and can be found sitting beside his peacefully sleeping baby. Since the road was cleared of mines, a mobile health clinic has been able to reach the village and vaccinate the children.
Chaom proudly shows off his cassava harvest, grown on land that was cleared by his father’s demining team and purchased thanks to his HALO wages. Demining has allowed hope to return to Maharsrob, land can now be farmed and parents like Chaom can support their families and build a future.
Photographs by Alison Locke: Left: Chaom Tauv photographed in 2015 with his wife and infant son. Right: Chaom Tauv with his cassava harvest—grown on land cleared by his father's demining team.
Every year, HALO continues to destroy thousands of landmines, protecting lives and restoring livelihoods. In 2017 alone, we made 67 million square metres of land safe (that’s about 16,600 American football pitches) in conflict affected communities across the world. However, even today, 60 million people still live surrounded by these indiscriminate killers. They are counting on us to rid the world of landmines once and for all.
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