Nearly forty years of conflict have left Afghanistan with a deadly legacy of landmines and other explosives. Tens of thousands of people have been killed or injured by landmines and the fighting continues to threaten livelihoods, forcing millions of Afghans to flee their homes.

Around 80 per cent of the population lives in rural communities, dependent on agriculture and livestock. When land is known to be mined, returning families like Fakhrudin’s are threatened with poverty because they can’t grow enough food or graze their animals safely. The situation was even worse for Fakhrudin because, soon after he returned, he was severely injured by a landmine. He couldn’t work for a year and was forced to borrow money and food from his neighbours to support his family.

Over the past 30 years, HALO and the Mine Action Programme of Afghanistan have made safe almost 80 per cent of the country’s recorded minefields and battlefields. In West Kabul, we spearheaded one of the biggest urban clearance operations since WWII, allowing a city decimated by war to rebuild. In Herat Province alone, we cleared over 600 minefields, including land around the 15^th Century Minarets of the Husain Baiqara Madrasa. Across rural districts we have made land safe so farmers can grow crops and graze cattle.