Four veterans with disabilities who completed the mine action course got jobs in humanitarian demining. Three of the veterans will analyze satellite images to identify explosive hazards, and the other one will become a radio operator. All of them started working with The HALO Trust, the largest international humanitarian demining operator in Ukraine.

“Veterans who have been trained and employed is what we were aiming for when we launched the mine action course for mine survivors together with our partners. Veterans will be able to actively support mine action and influence the safety of communities. I would like to thank the partners for their support and implementation of this project, which has demonstrated that the experience and skills of motivated veterans will help to clean up our land more effectively,” said Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine Ihor Bezkaravaynyi.

The veterans themselves, who have recently been employed in the field of humanitarian demining, noted that it is very important for them to contribute to making Ukraine's land safer. 

“By supporting the reintegration of veterans into society, we not only ensure the security of Ukraine, but also give people a chance to fulfill their potential. The job satisfaction and real impact of each individual contribute to the bigger picture of Ukraine's recovery, including its economic development. Every contribution is important to our common goal of creating a secure and prosperous future,” said UNDP Resident Representative Jaco Cilliers.

The mine action course was implemented by the United Nations Development Program in Ukraine with the participation of the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine and the State Employment Center with financial support from the Government of the Netherlands. It lasted three weeks, from August 12 to 30.

During the training, the participants learned the basics of image analysis, GIS data creation, and an approach to land classification. UNDP engaged The HALO Trust, the largest humanitarian demining operator in Ukraine, to train the participants, who watched how drones are used to collect visual information and then use this data to create a detailed map of the surveyed area.

It is worth mentioning that the issue of humanitarian demining is overseen by the First Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine - Minister of Economy of Ukraine Yulia Svyrydenko. The Ministry of Economy of Ukraine ensures the interaction of central executive authorities in the mine action field, particularly in the area of humanitarian demining.