More than 119 million active mines are scattered in 71 countries.

Just as many are waiting in stock piles all over the world to swell these numbers.

Today more than 15 countries are crippled by land mines infesting their territories.

Each year some 2 million new mines are planted.

There is one land mine for every 16 children in the world, one for every 48 habitants of the planet.

For every mine cleared, 20 are laid.

The cost of neutralising mine ranges from US$ 300 to US$ 1.000. Our objective is US$ 150 per mine.

Removing the worlds 119 million active mines would cost an estimated US$ 33 billion.

With demining methods in common use today it would take more than 1.100 years to clear the entire world of mines. Then, only if not a single new mine were laid.

The most severely affected country is Angola with 15 million mines.

In 1995 in Angola approx. 80.000 mines were destroyed. If no new mines were laid in Angola, it would take 200 years to clean the country of mines.

Last November the founder of HLDF followed an invitation from Angolan Government to provide a Humanitarian Land-mine Disposal Systems proposal to Angola.

After the proposal was presented we were given the following territories to operate in:

· Biè
· Huambo
· Malange
· Kuando Kubango

While in Angola, meetings were also held with Ministers and other Government officials to review our forthcoming demining activities. Angolan political support and cooperation has been guaranteed by President dos Santos, Prime Minister van Dúnem, the Minister of Social Service and Rehabilitation, Dr Albino Malungo and the Director of INAROEE, General Helder Eugénio da Silva Cruz, the person responsible for the Angolan demining activities.

The territory we will working in is two-times the size of the Iberian Peninsula and has an estimated 6,5 Million mines.

Our HLDF, Foundation in Portugal, has a new revolutionary technology to locate mines from the Air with Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAV). This includes plastic and metal types.

We are able to identify, mark the mines and safely neutralise and destroy them without threat or injury to the deminer.