Making Mbanga safer for students
In brief
United States Government support is helping HALO address World War II-era explosive hazards on Mbanga Island in the Solomon Islands, protecting more than 1,000 students and helping make school grounds safer for future generations.
More than 80 years after fierce fighting in the Solomon Islands, the legacy of World War II can still be found on Mbanga Island.
Today, the small group of islands, less than four miles long, is home to three schools serving more than 1,000 students from across the Solomon Islands. But explosive dangers left behind by the war continues to pose a threat where children learn and play, and communities grow food.
From battlefield to school farm
Mbanga was captured by General Barker on August 10, 1943, as part of the Allied campaign to gain control of the Diamond Arrow Passage. The island had been used by Japanese forces as a fallback position and was home to two 120mm guns that bombarded the U.S.-controlled Munda airstrip.
The guns remain on Mbanga today, still pointing toward Munda Point.
Decades later, the island became a coconut plantation. Today, its land serves a very different purpose.
Goldie College, Tabaka Rural Training Center, and Tabaka Primary School are all located on Mbanga. Students also work in school gardens, growing vegetables that help provide fresh meals.
But plans to expand the school farm have repeatedly had to change when unexploded ordnance was discovered.
The danger lingering beneath the ground
Unexploded munitions have been found across the school farm in recent years. In 2024, the farm manager dug out several grenades and pieces of small ammunition while working the land.
Explosives can still be seen on the coconut plantations, caught in the roots of old trees, lying above ground, or uncovered during gardening.
The danger has also reached the places where children play. In 2014, two young boys found ammunition while playing and kept the rounds beneath their desks in their classroom.
For teachers and families on Mbanga, the safety of their children remains a serious concern.
Making it safe to play, learn, and dream
In May 2025, HALO began non-technical survey work on Mbanga Island, identifying nearly 60 acres of suspected hazardous area - or about the size of .
HALO teams also reported several hazardous items to the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force and provided vital risk education to students across all classrooms.
The next step is battle area clearance: a methodical search, detection, and removal of the hazards, to make the land safe for students and staff and allow future school developments to move forward.
For the students of Mbanga, safer land means more than a cleared schoolyard. It means safer places to learn, play, and grow the food their community depends on.
This work is helping turn land shaped by war into land that can once again serve a new generation.
We thank the United States Government through the U.S. Embassy in Honiara for its support, which is helping HALO make communities like Mbanga safer and giving students greater opportunity to learn, grow, and build their futures on safe ground.
