“It’s true, a priority for us is the safety of the children. Children can pick up a mine, thinking it’s a toy. But it’s a device that kills. Some people have been involved in landmine accidents here. Just down there, by the river, someone was hit. It was a woman, she sustained eye injuries.”
Kennedy Chizenga lives in Chisembu village in the northeast of Zimbabwe, close to the border with Mozambique. Kennedy’s first-born child is 25 years old, his youngest just five years of age. Along with 70 other families, they live a short distance from the Cordon Sanitaire, one of the densest minefields in the world. It was laid nearly five decades ago along the border with Mozambique during the War of Independence—a lethal barrier to prevent freedom fighters crossing to get training and supplies. Today it is a barrier to progress. Running almost the full length of the border, it impacts the lives of thousands of communities. The majority of mines found here are called R2M2s—even today they remain highly sensitive and can be easily triggered.
Everyday, members of the community need to travel across the border—for trade, to reach health clinics, and, for many children, it is their route to school. Parents or the older students take it in turns to walk the younger children across the minefield to class—trying to ensure they stick to known paths to reduce the risk of accidents. Once in class, children can be heard practicing their English by reading a book called ‘The Minefield’, where colourful animal characters instil lessons that could save their lives, as Kennedy explains.
Kennedy not only lives in daily fear of mine accidents, the minefield also impacts his ability to support his family. Households in this region rely on farming and grazing cattle to survive, losing an animal to the mines can be the tipping point between having enough food to eat, or going hungry.
“It’s true that the landmines have greatly impacted us. Firstly, they have affected our livestock. I lost three cows when I moved here. In the community about 30 cows have died so far. They were big cows, worth at least $500 each. It [the minefield] affected my yield as I couldn’t farm much. I had planned on using the cattle as income during any droughts.”
HALO’s Zimbabwean deminers started work to clear the minefield close to Kennedy’s home in 2021. To date, they have already safely destroyed over 4,700 mines. Kennedy has a clear vision of the difference safe land will make to him and his family.
“I was so happy when HALO came into the area. I knew our landmine problem was going to come to an end. When they are removed, we are looking forward to expanding our farmland, I wish that God almighty will make it rain so that I can drill a borehole. I want to be able to farm properly.”
