Removing mines to make families safe in Kosovo

Sahadete is the director of Abedin Bujupi, a primary school in the village of Arllat, where areas are still contaminated with dangerous explosives left over from the war in 1999. With 117 households affected by the risk of explosives, HALO has been working hard to clear Arllat.  

Sahadete was born and raised in Arllat. She joined Abedin Bujupi as a math teacher before the war and later became a physics teacher.  

During the war in Kosovo, more than 295,000 explosives were dropped across the country. Arllat was subject to several strikes, leaving about 27 acres of the village contaminated with these explosives.  

Sahadete describes how the village was destroyed, including the school, “The mountains of Berisha are a hilly place with a great height. From there, we saw our village burning to the ground.” 

Even with the violence, teachers continued to teach, not letting war get in the way of the children’s education.  

Today, the school has 398 students. Its current location, rebuilt in 2014, is loved by its students. As head of school since 2017, Sahadete and her staff work diligently to ensure maximum safety for their students.  

Sahadete says, “I appreciate HALO’s work because, thanks to them, we now feel very safe. Through surveying and diligent search for dangerous items, HALO has made a significant impact." 

12 submunitions have been found and 13 acres of land (the equivalent of seven and a half football fields) has been cleared by HALO since 2022. This work has impacted 3,132 people and allowed for safe movement through the village and villagers’ backyards. 

25 years after the guns went silent, Arllat will be safe from explosives, allowing the community to realize a peaceful and safe future. Thanks to all our supporters at GlobalGiving for enabling this life-saving work. Thank you! 

Following the 1998-99 Kosovo war, much of the village of Arllat was left in ruins after heavy fighting and air strikes. Even though the fighting ended 25 years ago, the threat posed by cluster munitions remains.

Naim is a retired teacher living in Arllat with his wife, Drita. During the war, Naim worked as the head of the civil-military relations in the 121^st “Ismet Jashari” Brigade while Drita and their four children took refuge in the Berisha Mountain, along with many other families.

Refusing to let the war deprive their children the right to community, safety, and education, the teachers from the local “Abedin Bujupi” primary school in Arllat continued to teach children throughout the conflict. Moved by their dedication, Naim would eventually take over as the principal of the school following the war. As the school was about 127 yards from a hazardous area, Naim explains that the school was one of the victims from the conflict. “The school was burnt down; the entire courtyard was destroyed and filled with cluster munitions. 57 of them exploded during a military demolition, causing an accident between several soldiers and a local resident.”

HALO started working in Kosovo immediately after the withdrawal of Yugoslav troops in 1999. Since then, we have cleared cluster bombs and landmines and employ local men and women. We have also employed local men and women, creating opportunities in a country where there are few formal job prospects, particularly for women. HALO is committed to creating a safe future for the people of Kosovo.

Even though the fighting ended 25 years ago, Naim and Drita are still acutely aware of the continuing threat of contamination in the village, and Naim admits that he still fears finding explosives while planting and considers himself to be lucky to have had no accidents.

Despite the threat, Naim remains optimistic. He feels relieved when he sees HALO’s teams clearing his land and his neighbors’ and looks forward to getting his blueberries planted once HALO has finished its work.

Thank you to all our supporters at GlobalGiving for making this life-saving work possible. Thank you!