The Khachatryan children
An innovative crowdfunding campaign to clear a minefield in Harar village in Artsakh launched on Friday.
The HALO Trust, the world’s largest mine clearance non-profit, aims to raise $49,000 through crowdfunding, which will be matched by an anonymous donor, to clear an 8.6-acre minefield in Harar village, in Bedzor (formerly Lachin), and ensure the safety of the Khachatryan family and 200 others who live nearby.
The anti-personnel mines surrounding their home were laid by Armenian and Azeri forces along the hillsides near Harar in 1992. The minefields created a “mine-belt” along defensive positions. Since the end of the war, three civilian casualties have been reported in the village, including the death of one teenager, and dozens of livestock accidents.
Alla Khachatryan is a widow and matriarch of the Khachatryan family, which has been living in the village for 20 years. Alla lives with her sons Harair and Hamlet, his wife Anni, and her two young grandchildren. The family has already lost their horse, 4 pigs and 4 cows to mines. They live in constant fear that the next accident will affect a member of the family.
Sargis Khachatryan in Harar
Alla’s elder son Hamlet works for the government as warden of the forests near the village and younger son, Harair, helps his brother herd the family’s livestock. The brothers’ jobs are particularly dangerous, because not only are they responsible for their own herd, they are also responsible for the safety of their fellow villagers and have to regularly walk near the minefield to check for mine accidents.
“There is always a fear of dying with every step I take, but my mind has become accustomed to it,â€
