This year The HALO Trust launched the HALO Staff Challenge. This is to support HALO's campaign to help children and families living in fear of landmines and other explosive remnants of war. It has become somewhat of a global one-upmanship with staff in HALO's programmes across the world organising and taking part in events to raise funds and awareness. 

Laos, and specifically the Ho Chi Minh Trail was bombed heavily between 1964 and 1973.  People's lives continue to be put at risk by the debris of war. Just last month, three children were injured when a cannon round exploded under their cooking pot in a village 30 minutes from our office.  

HALO started working in Laos in 2012, destroying 44,245 explosive items and employing over 500 local people since then.  

In solidarity with the walkers on Salisbury Plain for HALO's UK based challenge, over 30 staff from HALO Laos are going to run, walk and shuffle their own 35km on the Ho Chi Minh trail. National and international staff will be taking sections in turns this Saturday - weather report, 36 Celsius, 92% humidity and climbing!

We would love any support you can give to our challenge.  Our Lao staff are naturally fit from years of physical work, but for most, it will be their first time taking part in anything like this.  And we're all pretty excited about it!