Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka is an island country in the Indian Ocean, just off the south coast of India.
HALO began clearing explosives here in 2002. We expanded our operation to include safety training in 2015.
Situation in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka's Civil War ended in 2009 after nearly three decades of fighting. It claiming the lives of around 80,000 people and left more than a million landmines.
Hundreds of thousands of civilians were forced to flee their homes, because of fighting or landmines. Over 20,000 people have since been killed or injured by landmines and other explosives, according to Landmine Monitor.
Families still cannot return home because their land is not safe. Much progress has been made, but there is still a lot of clearance work to be done.
The Sri Lankan Government has set a target of being mine-free by 2028.
HALO's work and impact in Sri Lanka
HALO's efforts are focused on clearing landmines and other explosives in the Jaffna peninsula, Kilinochchi, and Mullaitivu.
We have safely destroyed over a million explosive items, including 300,000 anti-personnel mines.
Our land clearance work has allowed over 280,000 displaced people to return home.
HALO destroys around 1,000 mines every month, both by hand and through the use of mechanised equipment.
Rishika, age five, at her school on land cleared by HALO
HALO Sri Lanka staff
HALO is the largest mine clearance organisation in Sri Lanka, employing 1,200 local people. Many of our staff were displaced by the conflict.
Around 40% of HALO Sri Lanka's staff are women. There are many female-headed households here, due to the many casualties of the civil war.
HALO is the second-largest employer in the northern province and has been working there since 2002.
HALO is supporting staff to successfully transition to new careers once Sri Lanka is mine-free. All staff have the opportunity to learn new skills and gain qualifications.
"We never thought we'd get our land back. Even our children doubted we would see this day. But now we are truly thankful. Having our own land allows us to look to the future with hope. My children will have a stable home to grow up in."
Other HALO programmes in Asia
HALO's work in Sri Lanka is funded by:
