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  • What we do

    • What we do

    • Our work

      • Our work

      • Clearing landmines and explosives

      • Teaching people to stay safe

      • Managing weapons and ammunition

      • Responding to disaster and crisis

    • Our impact

      • Our impact

      • Protecting lives

      • Making land safe

      • Creating jobs

      • Empowering women

    Our work

    • Clearing landmines and explosives
    • Teaching people to stay safe
    • Managing weapons and ammunition
    • Responding to disaster and crisis

    Our impact

    • Protecting lives
    • Making land safe
    • Creating jobs
    • Empowering women
  • Where we work

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    • Africa

      • Africa

      • Angola

      • Guinea Bissau

      • Malawi

      • Mozambique

      • Somalia and Somaliland

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      • Ethiopia

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      • Nagorno Karabakh

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    Africa

    • Angola
    • Guinea Bissau
    • Malawi
    • Mozambique
    • Somalia and Somaliland
    • Zimbabwe
    • Ethiopia
    • Nigeria
    • Ghana
    • Cote D’Ivoire
    • Mauritania
    • Togo
    • Kenya

    Europe & Caucasus

    • Kosovo
    • Nagorno Karabakh
    • Ukraine
    • Moldova

    South Asia

    • Cambodia
    • Laos
    • Myanmar
    • Solomon Islands
    • Sri Lanka

    Central Asia

    • Afghanistan

    Latin America

    • Colombia
    • El Salvador
    • Guatemala
    • Honduras

    Middle East

    • Iraq
    • Libya
    • Syria
    • West Bank
    • Yemen
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Kosovo

In 1999, NATO released over a thousand cluster bombs on Yugoslav targets in Kosovo, each one containing many smaller explosives. With a failure rate estimated at twenty per cent, tens of thousands of these unexploded items littered the ground or became buried in fields, gardens and school yards. 

In 2001, despite clear evidence that many minefields remained in Kosovo, the United Nations declared the country to be mine free. HALO and other agencies protested against this decision, which condemned the people of Kosovo to a lifetime living in fear of landmines and cluster bombs.

"I was frightened to walk along the road before it was cleared. There were cluster bombs there. I want to be a doctor when I grow up."
Kaltirina Gashi, age 8, Kosovo

Our Work

Clearing landmines & explosives

HALO started working in Kosovo immediately after the withdrawal of Yugoslav troops in 1999. We have cleared cluster bombs and landmines from an area the size of over 1,500 football pitches, so parents like Basri no longer fear for their children’s future.

We employ over 100 local men and women, creating opportunities in a country where there are few formal jobs prospects, particularly for women. After discovering childcare issues were a barrier to local women applying for work with HALO, we introduced childcare stipends in 2018.

In 1999, there were 18 mine clearance agencies working in Kosovo. Now, only two remain, but HALO is committed to creating a safe future for the people of Kosovo.

OUR IMPACT

"I am too old now to really enjoy life, but I am happy knowing that my children and grandchildren will live in a safe place, free of mines."
Zejnepe, Kosovo

Only months after the war ended, Zejnepe’s husband, Afet, lost his leg in an explosion when he stood on a landmine while collecting firewood. In the years that followed, the family lived in fear of further accidents but, in November 2017, much to Zejnepe’s relief, our deminers finished clearing the minefield where the accident happened.

Read more

Stories from Kosovo

HALO Trust and Schonstedt: Helping to Make Kosovo a Safer Place
HALO Trust and Schonstedt: Helping to Make Kosovo a Safer Place
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Protecting Families in Kosovo
Protecting Families in Kosovo
Read more
Testing Ground: The Grenadier in Kosovo
Testing Ground: The Grenadier in Kosovo
Read more
A New Home from the Ashes of War in Kosovo
A New Home from the Ashes of War in Kosovo
Read more
Covid-19 Emergency Response Kosovo
When Home is not the Safest Place
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A Life Free from Fear in Kosovo
A Life Free from Fear in Kosovo
Read more

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Our Work is Funded By:

The United States Government
The United States Government
Swiss Confederation
Swiss Confederation

Meet our Team in Kosovo

Programme Manager for HALO Kosovo
Michael Montafi is the Programme Manager for The HALO Trust in Kosovo, a position he assumed in September 2022.

Before taking on his current role, Michael served as a Programme Officer and Partnerships Manager for HALO in the Republic of Georgia, where he played a pivotal role in donor engagement and fundraising for the organization’s work to clear unexploded ordnance in Abkhazia.

Michael holds a Bachelor's degree in Political Science from Saint Mary’s College of California and a Master's degree in International Relations and Development from The Graduate Institute, Geneva (IHEID). Michael served with the United States Peace Corps in Azerbaijan from 2013-2014.

Michael Montafi

Programme Administrator
Agron is from the town of Deçan in the west of Kosovo. He first started working for The HALO Trust in Kosovo in 1999, and now serves as the Programme Administrator. He is responsible for all administrative aspects of the programme from finance to stores and the vehicle fleet. Agron is married and has two children.

Agron Boshtraj

Supervisor
Hasan is from Gllobocica village in southern Kosovo. He began working as a demining Supervisor in 1999, after being discovered by HALO's survey team while clearing mines from his village. Hasan is responsible for managing HALO Kosovo's clearance teams on a day-to-day basis. He is married and has seven children.

Hasan Luma

Head of Operations, Angola
Laura joined HALO in 2016 as Medical Officer for HALO Colombia. She left in 2018 and re-joined in 2021 as medical consultant for HALO Iraq. She then completed her operations training in Cambodia including IMAS EOD Level 3. Since 2022 she has been working in Kosovo where she was Operations Manager. Before HALO, Laura worked for as an O.R and emergency room nurse in Colombia for nine years. Laura is completing her BA in International Relations and Political Studies. She joined HALo Angola as head of operations in 2024.

Laura Moreno Gonzalez

Operations Officer
Jack joined HALO as a Field Officer Trainee in January 2023, and subsequently joined the Kosovo programme as Operations Officer in June after completing his training. Before joining HALO, Jack worked for the United Nations Department of Peace Operations and the UK Ministry of Defence. He holds an MSc in Global Security from the University of Glasgow and an M.A. (Hons) in Translating and Interpreting for French/Spanish from Heriot-Watt University.

Jack Holmes

Survey and Training Coordinator
Harris was born and raised in Gjakova, where HALO’s HQ is located. He joined HALO Kosovo on April 2016 as a Deminer. In 2020 he got promoted into the Training Officer position. Since 2022 he has been working as a Survey and Training Coordinator which is responsible for all training activities and supporting all operational aspects. He is completing BA degree in English Language and Literature.

Harris Morina

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CARRONFOOT, THORNHILL, DUMFRIES, DG3 5BF

The HALO Trust is a company limited by guarantee. Registered in England No. 2228587. Registered Charity No. 1001813 and (in Scotland) SC037870. Registered Office: One Bartholomew Close, Barts Square, London EC1A 7BL

The HALO Trust (USA), Inc. is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization US Federal Tax ID Number 52-2158152
Office: 1730 Rhode Island Ave NW, Suite 206, Washington, DC 20036 

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