Carrying Princess Diana’s Legacy Forward
On Princess Diana’s birthday, we honor her bold legacy—and Angola’s extraordinary journey from war to renewal.
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In 1997, the late Princess Diana walked through a live minefield in Huambo, Angola. The image shocked the world—and sparked a global movement to ban landmines. Her visit put a human face on a hidden humanitarian crisis. Just months later, and shortly after her untimely death, her advocacy helped spur the signing of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, also known as the Ottawa Treaty. The world began to wake up to the reality that clearing landmines wasn't simply about removing weapons—it was about giving people their futures back.
Left, Princess Diana walks through a minefield in Huambo in 1997. Right, the same area today, now a bustling street known as Avenida 28 de Maio, where children safely attend school and the community thrives.
Nearly three decades later, that very site is home to a thriving school and community. Thanks to continued investment from the Angolan government and support from donors like you, entire provinces—including Huambo and Benguela—are now free from the daily fear of landmines. HALO has destroyed more than 123,000 landmines and returned the equivalent of 6,000 soccer fields to safe use for farming, building schools, and powering development.
“I was here when this land was mined. It’s because of HALO and the support from others that this community can now move forward.”
“I was born here in Biópio, and during the war, it was all mined,” says Benarda Maria, a retired teacher in Benguela. “When people left the commune, they had to get in via a gate—if you were late, you didn’t get back in. We walked to Lobito on foot to find food. Some people who went by car never returned. Life was so hard.”
Today, she beams with pride as she watches women from her community leading the next phase of Angola’s recovery: “I’m happy to see the women of this community doing mine clearance. Those girls have learnt a lot. Today’s women want to be equal to men—and that’s good.”
“Before clearance, people were very afraid. Now we can live in peace and our children can walk freely.”
For Domingo Correa, a guard in Tangé, the danger was personal. “People, animals, even cattle stepped on the mines. We felt so bad,” he says. “Now the mines have nearly all gone. People can move around freely. Everything is clean. Yes, much better.”
In 2019, Prince Harry retraced his mother’s steps in Angola, walking through the same area that had once been a live minefield. By then, the site had transformed into a bustling street lined with homes, shops, and cheering schoolchildren.
At the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Harry paid tribute to Angola’s transformation—and his mother’s role in making it possible.
“Carrying on her legacy is a responsibility I take seriously. Angola has set the gold standard for commitment and accomplishment in demining. This goes beyond just numbers—it’s about actual lives and actual progress. For Angola’s young people, a world without mines must be a moral imperative for all of us.”
Despite this extraordinary progress, challenges remain. While cities and towns are now largely safe, rural areas continue to suffer. Many families still live beside contaminated land. Children play near deadly explosives. Farmers avoid fertile fields out of fear.
HALO continues to work in Angola’s most remote communities to locate, clear, and destroy the remaining mines. Our mission is not complete until every family, in every corner of the country, can live and work in safety.
As we honor Princess Diana on her birthday, we invite you to join us in continuing her legacy. Your support is crucial in helping us clear the remaining minefields and create safe spaces for future generations.
DONATE TODAY to continue her legacy.
"Let’s renew our commitments and let’s finish the job for all our sakes, so we too can look back in awe and relief. And so those who started this recovery and regeneration many years ago, can rest knowing that we really did finish the job."
