Halo Trust Regional Director Visits The Western Diocese

Halo Trust Regional Director Andrew Moore visited the Headquarters of the Western Diocese on October 17, 2016. Mr. Moore was accompanied by executive members of the Halo Trust and the Rev. Fr. Vazken Movsesian.

In a meeting with the Primate, Mr. Moore briefed His Eminence on the tremendous progress of mine-clearing project in Nagorno Karabakh. To date, almost 90 percent (11,200 + anti personnel and anti-vehicle mines and 12,300 + cluster munitions) of Nagorno Karabakh’s minefields have been cleared through the organization’s efforts. Regretfully, mines and unexploded ordinances have claimed the lives of 370 civilians since the end of the conflict in 1994.

People in Artsakh are more likely to be the victims of landmines than the inhabitants of almost any country in the world. A third of landmine victims are children.

Landmines cripple the economy by denying families the use of their land for farming. Together, we have the opportunity to remove this deadly legacy and create a brighter future for the people of Artsakh. An anonymous donor has pledged half of the $8 million required to clear all minefields that threaten civilians by 2020 – if the matching funds can be raised.

Mine clearance not only prevents accidents. It allows roads, schools and houses to be built, water pipes to be laid, fields to be cultivated and livestock to be safely grazed.

Click here to read about the Mejumian family.  

For more information or to learn how to contribute, please visit www.halotrust.org/minefreenk