📸 A new photo #exhibition at the Zoloti Vorota Metro Station in Kyiv, #Ukraine, highlights the vital role of #women working in #HumanitarianDemining.
FSD is proud that several of our #deminers are among those featured.
Thank you to @thehalotrust.bsky.social for organising.
💥 Controlled #Demolitions in #Tajikistan
When explosive remnants of war are too unstable to move, FSD #deminers destroy them #safely on site. These demolitions restore access to land & #protect communities.
🎥 www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBrT...
Funded with assistance by 🇬🇧 UK FCDO.
💫 Highlights of 2025
📸 1. Tajikistan — land #cleared for families
📸 2. Colombia — a hydroponic #greenhouse strengthening communities
📸 3. Philippines — #RiskEducation helping children stay safe
📸 4. Ukraine — women #deminers featured at the National Museum in Kyiv
🎓 How Do We Train Our #Deminers?
In our latest newsletter, we offer a glimpse into the #training process and show the necessary #skills for becoming a deminer and deploying to conduct #safe clearance.
➡️ Read the full newsletter: fsd.ch/en/how-to-be...
🎬Behind the Scenes
For FSD #deminers Valeriia Osyka and Zhanna Shkurko, taking part in a music video was a new experience. They appeared in #Ukrainian singer @thejerryheil's song “Earth (Dradada)”, a tribute to humanitarian demining and those working to make Ukraine safe again.
FSD #deminers Valeriia Osyka and Zhanna Shkurko are featured in Ukrainian singer @thejerryheil's new song ‘Earth (Dradada)’.
💛 FSD is deeply grateful to Jerry Heil for raising awareness of humanitarian #MineAction!
🎥 Watch the music video: youtu.be/UVGfg0aetQw?...
🎶 “Earth (Dradada)” – FSD #Deminers on Screen
“In the video, everything starts in the morning, just like in our job — I hear the birds, see the sky, I’m surrounded by nature, and I’m doing something meaningful for #Ukrainian soil,” shares FSD deminer Valeriia Osyka.
💙The Bond between #Deminers and the #Community
In Tagi, #Tajikistan, our team cleared six electrical pillars contaminated with unexploded ordnance. The area is now safe — a relief for this resident, but also a bittersweet farewell to the deminers she saw daily.
🎥 youtu.be/23xgea0I2pY?...
🐕 Safety of Our #MineDetectionDogs
The #safety of our #workingdogs is always a top priority. These highly trained dogs never touch mines — they detect explosive vapours from a safe distance and mark the area for #deminers.
Wearing protective gear is essential for #APOPO deminers clearing dangerous explosives — from reinforced helmets and full-face visors to body armor reaching the thighs. They start at sunrise to work in the cool, resting often to stay focused. #deminers #minedetection #savinglives
🧭 #MineAction starts with conversations.
Before #deminers enter a field with detectors, surveyors talk to #communities, gather local knowledge & map hazards. These non-technical surveys pave the way for #safe clearance.
🎥 See how this first step works: www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeaS...
✅ Since the start of the year, FSD’s #deminers have made over 2 million square metres of land safe in #Ukraine.
Their hard work restores access to farmland, roads, and entire communities. Every square metre cleared brings people closer to #safety and #recovery.
In Sari Pul, #Tajikistan, women & children risk their lives daily on mined paths to water, forests & schools.
Our recent video shows where these #risks are most present & how FSD #deminers are working to restore #safety.
🎥 www.youtube.com/watch?v=lj5R...
Project supported by 🇬🇧 UK FCDO.
Since resuming operations in March 2025, after the winter pause, FSD #deminers have successfully cleared one million square metres of land contaminated by explosive hazards in #Ukraine.
A school stadium & farmland are now #safe again—for kids to play & farmers to work.
Our team captured our ground preparation machine detonating an anti-personnel #mine (PFM-1). Despite the #explosion, the machine continued its work—followed, as usual, by a team of manual #deminers. 💥
📹 Watch the short video: www.youtube.com/shorts/QDMJb...
FSD survey teams use #drones to safely scan contaminated areas from above. This #technology helps to identify signs of landmines and explosive remnants of war before #deminers set foot on the ground.
👉 Watch this short clip with real drone #footage: www.youtube.com/shorts/FbfSf...
"Our house was destroyed (...) everything was practically ruined," explains Serhii, a zootechnician from #Ukraine.
In this video, he shares his story. As he begins to rebuild, the work of FSD’s #deminers gives him #hope.
📹 Watch the full video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHMV...
Clearing border areas in #Tajikistan plays a key role in supporting regional #stability. These borders are often defined by natural landmarks and offer spectacular views—but can also make the work more demanding for #deminers.
Project supported by 🇬🇧 UK International Development.
🕐 Inside a Deminer’s #Workday
In our latest video, follow FSD’s #deminers in #Iraq as they begin work at sunrise and continue through the midday heat. Through their efforts, local communities can rebuild, cultivate, and walk in #safety.
🎥 Watch the full video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRYx...
#Bobcats aren’t just for construction - they also play a role in #HumanitarianDemining! These remotely controlled machines allow #deminers to work from a safe distance, reducing risk.
📷 Deminers are using a bobcat to locate mines in a large field in #Ukraine.
@wfp-de.bsky.social @fao.org
FSD-Metal detector procedures are being conducted by a deminer
FSD-The deminer is carrying out metal detector clearance procedures
FSD-team leader gives daily site safety briefing before the team starts clearance operations
FSD-Deminer preparing equipment for daily mechanical clearance activities
Our #deminers in #Iraq have reached a significant milestone—over 33 million sqm of land cleared of explosive remnants of war.
"I am very #proud and honoured to work with these #dedicated males and females," says Peter Smethers, FSD's Country Director in Iraq.
Supported by 🇺🇸U.S. Department of State
💣 In #Iraq, #mines and explosive devices continue to kill. Lands are abandoned, lives in danger.
Every time HI secures a village, hope is reborn.
But for HI's #deminers, the challenge is immense:
♨️ extreme heat
⚠️ insecurity
🗺️ vast contamination
🌱 Our #Clearance Teams Are Back in the Field
As the snow melts and #spring arrives, #deminers in regions with harsh winters resume operations. This brief window—before vegetation grows too high—provides great conditions for clearing landmines and explosive remnants of war.
📍Marking Dangerous Areas with #Precision
Before mine #clearance begins, it's important to mark the boundaries of hazardous areas. #Deminers use standard #GPS or, if available, Differential GPS for greater accuracy.
📷 Two deminers geolocate a boundary near Shurob, #Tajikistan.
✅ An Area Equivalent to 1,000 Football Fields Cleared
Last year, FSD #deminers cleared and secured over 6.6 million square metres of land. This brings life back to fields, villages, and homes, allowing communities to hope for a #future without fear of #landmines and explosive remnants of war.
⚠️ Neutralising the #Danger: FSD's #Impact
In 2024, FSD #deminers rendered #safe over 6,700 explosive devices, including landmines, improvised explosive devices and unexploded ammunitions.
Each device removed means one less #threat to people's #lives.
Protective gear is vital for deminers clearing explosives: a reinforced helmet, thick visor, and body armor shield them from blasts. In summer heat, they start early, rest hourly, and finish by midday to stay safe. Focus is key. #deminers #herorats #savinglives