After more than 12 years of civil war, Syria is littered with lethal explosives that put lives at risk, prevent farmers from working their land and stop people rebuilding their lives.
HALO operates in the northwestern enclave of the country around Idlib and Aleppo, where a HALO study of 1,000 communities found that 41 per cent of villages and towns were contaminated with munitions including rockets, projectiles, landmines and improvised explosive devices.
Support from players of People's Postcode Lottery has helped us tackle this problem by identifying and safely disposing of dangerous explosive items in Idlib – the very first time this kind of work has been carried out by HALO here. HALO is the only international organisation conducting this crucial work in Northwest Syria.
With your help our specialist team were able to carefully survey 23 communities and find and destroy 62 explosive items - two-thirds located in agricultural land which is critical to the region's fragile economy. Each of these 62 items had the potential to kill or maim innocent people.
Your support has saved lives and helped us prove that disposal of explosive items is possible even in the difficult war-torn and isolated context of northwest Syria. Through this we have been able to attract further funding from two Government donors to continue the vital work we have started and bring safety to even more communities.
We were also able to help 191 survivors of explosive accidents navigate the fragmented health care system and receive life-changing medical assistance. When the devastating earthquakes struck in February 2023, your support allowed us to provide emergency support to 200 injured people who were in urgent need of care.
Teaching people how to stay safe in communities which are littered with explosives is a critical part of HALO’s work. Thanks to the support of players of People's Postcode Lottery, we have been able to provide specialist risk education classes to more than 11,000 men, women, boys and girls - using fun approaches such as puppet shows to teach children how to spot, avoid and report dangerous items.
In Syria, the clearance of explosive ordnance is traditionally dominated by men, so we are delighted that through this project we have been able to train two female staff members to identify, disarm and dispose of explosive items.
Having women as part of our Syria team is vital, as in the communities our teams visit women often feel more comfortable speaking to female staff members and are more likely to share information which can help us locate dangerous items.
With the help of players of People’s Postcode Lottery we have empowered women to develop fulfilling careers with a secure income, improving their families’ lives and expanding opportunities for women who follow in their footsteps. Here Seba, one of our female staff members explains why working for HALO is so important to her.
Thank you to players of People’s Postcode Lottery – we are so grateful for your support
