Finding Strength in Angola

“The way people look at me now, they respect me for what I am doing.”

Inês Tembo Chilumbo Chipuco, deminer, HALO Angola

As the shadows lengthen, Inês races up the make-shift football pitch in the camp’s hotly contested weekly football match. This is where HALO Angola's Women in Demining live for three weeks at a time as they work to clear the landmines in the remote hills of Benguela. Bursting with energy, Inês embraces life and its challenges head on. Mother to four-year-old Pedro, she is proud that her job with HALO means she is now able to support her whole family and contribute to Angola’s future.

Photos by Scout Tufankjian

8th March 2019

I joined HALO to help my country when I heard that Angola still has many minefields. All my family was affected by the war. Many had to leave their homes, we were all separated. One of my uncles disappeared and we do not know what happened to him. He has never been found. My grandmother was injured, she was attacked with a machete, her arm has not worked properly since.

"I think it’s really important that women are clearing the landmines in Angola because it saves the lives of both people and animals. In the future if the fields are free we can build roads and schools here. I get a lot of satisfaction from my job. I am very proud and it makes me feel so strong. When I found my first landmine I was very frightened but over time I am no longer afraid, I feel confident in my work."

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Everyone is very happy that I am working. It’s so hard to find a job in Angola as a woman, most do not work. What I earn supports my entire family and I can buy the things that my little boy needs. When I explained to my family that I was a deminer, at first, they were afraid but now they are very proud of me. I am surprised by what I have been able to achieve, I did not think I could do this.

"I have learnt so much from this experience and living with all the women in the camp. The other women teach me how to listen better, not to always talk too much and to think more before I speak!"

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In the future, I want to continue to work with HALO so that I can support my family and help my son and brothers through school. One day, when my work with HALO is done, I would like to go back to my studies, perhaps go to university and study medicine. I have to take advantage of the opportunities to do the things I didn’t do before.

"What I earn supports my entire family and I can buy the things that my little boy needs. Everyone is very happy that I am working. It’s so hard to find a job in Angola as a woman, most do not work."

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