2023 Tier 4 Vanguard Award Winner

SafeLane and its international team works tirelessly to breathe new life into unsafe environments, and positively transform communities and the lives of those living and working within them.

Explosive ordnance continues to have a detrimental effect on communities long after a conflict has ended. Humanitarian support, free movement, the advancement of agriculture or infrastructure projects are all impacted by the threat of encountering unexploded ordnance. The objective of SafeLane’s work is to reduce the risk from the explosive threat to a level where people can live safely, and where society is not impacted by explosive contamination. Despite many countries signing the anti-personal mine-ban convention (APMBC) which bans the production, use, and stockpiling of anti-personnel mines, landmines are still produced and used.

The Republic of Yemen, situated in Western Asia, is one of the most mine-polluted countries in the world. SafeLane Global helps breathe new life into Yemeni lands, restoring stability through the survey and clearance of landmines, UXO, and improvised explosive devices. It works with Project Masam, training and then mentoring its teams of local citizens, enabling them to reclaim contaminated land through clearance. SafeLane’s work in Yemen began in 2018; to date 400,000 explosive items including anti-personnel and anti-tank mines, unexploded ordnance and improvised explosive devices have been cleared. 45 million m2 of previously unsafe land can now be freely accessed. SafeLane’s work enables stability and allows local communities to return to their normal lives.

SafeLane’s demining project teams in South Sudan provide explosive ordnance risk education (EORE) to the local communities affected by the explosive contamination it is responsible for locating and clearing. The risk education sessions are always adapted to suit the demographic present, considering attendees’ education level, age, and gender. The concept, messages and delivery methods are tailored to ensure the entire community is included accessibly. Ensuring children understand the dangers of explosive ordnance (EO) is particularly important, as their curious minds and playful nature put them at the highest risk of accidentally detonating explosive hazards.

SafeLane creates memorable, engaging lessons to ensure the knowledge taught is retained, shared and is lifesaving. As one of SafeLane’s Deputy Operations Managers commented, “…I remember creating a song for an EORE session in South Sudan in 2016. When I returned to the country 5 years later, the village still remembered the song and would sing it regularly.”

The legacy of explosive contamination within communities requires a long-term solution to remove reliance on the international community. SafeLane is committed to supporting the development and enhancement of national capacity in the countries it operates within. It recruits and trains local citizens to conduct survey and clearance operations and is currently doing so in Western Sahara, South Sudan, and Azerbaijan.

About SafeLane: SafeLane Global counters explosive threats, hazardous material dangers and security risks, whilst enabling stabilisation, reconstruction, and development efforts. It enables its humanitarian, governmental and commercial clients to achieve their objectives, whilst creating sustainably safer land and marine environments for the global community. SafeLane is expert in the clearance of landmines and explosive remnants of war, including improvised explosive devices. It detects weapons, narcotics, and intruders, and ultimately protects against the threats of harm and commercial loss.

SafeLane also provides training and consultancy services to support the activities of governments, security companies and multinational organisations around the world. It is trusted by over 10,000 clients in 60 countries. Clients include renewable energy companies, humanitarian, and supranational organisations.