Monitoring and Evaluation Officer

Clearing landmines to protect Colombia's rainforest. October 01, 2026 In brief. HALO, Rainforest Trust, and the Amazon Conservation Team are clearing landmines in Colombia's Meta region, helping Indigenous communities reclaim and protect 45,000 acres of rainforest. In Colombia's Meta region, clearing landmines could do more than make land safe. It could help Indigenous communities reclaim their ancestral territory and protect almost 45,000 acres of rainforest for generations to come. The HALO Trust is partnering with Rainforest Trust and the Amazon Conservation Team on a three-year project focused on 81 families living in Sol Naciente, home to the Mesetas Indigenous community, and Nuevo Milenio, home to the Uribe Indigenous community. The communities' land sits on the edge of protected rainforest and is vulnerable to illegal logging. The mountainous landscape, more than 3,200 feet above sea level, is also home to rare and endangered species and important ecosystems. A path to protecting ancestral land. For the communities who live here, safe access to their land is an important first step. Once the land is declared mine-free, the Colombian government can designate both areas as Indigenous Reserves. This would give the communities greater control over the conservation of their territory. The project brings together mine clearance and long-term environmental protection, creating an opportunity for communities to reclaim their land while helping safeguard the rainforest that surrounds it. Work is beginning in Sol Naciente, with the wider project running for three years. This first-of-its-kind partnership for Rainforest Trust expands what conservation can look like. Conservation starts with people being able to safely live on, care for and defend their land. By removing landmines from these ancestral territories, this partnership will help Indigenous communities reclaim access to their lands while creating the conditions for nearly 45,000 acres of critical rainforest habitat to be protected for the long term. James Deutsch CEO of Rainforest Trust. Protecting land for the future. HALO, Rainforest Trust and the Amazon Conservation Team will work alongside the Indigenous communities throughout the project. The communities will play a central role, including advising HALO on where and when it is safe to work. Following explosives clearance, HALO will provide environmental monitoring equipment and motorbikes for the Indigenous Guard. These resources will support efforts to protect the territory from illegal logging. The three-year project costs approximately $1 million. By clearing landmines, this partnership is opening a path for Indigenous communities to safely access and protect their ancestral lands. It is also helping create the conditions for nearly 45,000 acres of rainforest habitat to be protected for the long term. In Meta, safe ground could become a foundation for something even greater: communities with greater control over their land, and a rainforest with a stronger future.

Macclesfield digital agency helps global humanitarian charity strengthen fundraising through digital transformation. Macclesfield-based human-centred design agency Nexer Digital has completed a major digital transformation project for The HALO Trust, creating a new online platform designed to help the international charity increase donations, improve supporter engagement and strengthen its global digital presence. Nexer Digital was appointed to redesign and develop the charity's primary website as part of a wider strategy to support fundraising growth and deliver a more accessible, user-focused digital experience. The HALO Trust is the world's oldest humanitarian mine clearance organisation, working in more than 30 conflict-affected countries and territories to clear landmines and other explosive hazards, helping communities rebuild after conflict. Its new digital platform has been designed to support ambitious fundraising objectives, while making it easier for supporters to understand the charity's global impact and take action. A key aim of the project was to create a consistent experience for supporters, while enabling tailored content for audiences in the UK, US and Ukraine. The redesigned website places greater emphasis on donation journeys, campaign content and programme pages, helping visitors better understand the impact of their support. Behind the scenes, a new content management system built on Umbraco 17 enables the charity's teams to create campaigns, publish content and manage regional communications more efficiently. The platform has also been designed to meet WCAG 2.2 AA accessibility standards, ensuring it can be used by as many people as possible. Throughout the nine-month project, Nexer Digital worked with teams across The HALO Trust's global operations, alongside international brand consultancy DragonRouge, which refreshed the charity's visual identity and tone of voice during the redevelopment. Following the successful completion of the project, Nexer Digital has also been retained to provide ongoing support and optimisation under a year-long support contract. Jo Dunning, Account Director at Nexer Digital, said: "The HALO Trust has an ambitious vision for growing its fundraising and reaching more supporters around the world. Its role has been to create a digital platform that removes barriers to engagement, makes donating simpler and gives the charity the flexibility to respond quickly with campaigns and content. "As a human-centred design agency, we focused on understanding the needs of donors, supporters and internal teams to create a platform that works for everyone while reflecting the incredible impact of HALO's work." Amy Olson, Global Head of Digital Platforms at The HALO Trust, said: "Its website is one of the most important ways people discover its work, understand the impact of their support and choose to donate. "Nexer Digital has helped us create a platform that better reflects our global mission while making it easier for supporters to engage with us and for our teams to manage content across different regions. It provides a strong foundation for the next phase of our digital strategy." The new platform is expected to help increase online donations, improve the user experience, better demonstrate the charity's global impact and provide richer insight to inform future fundraising and digital campaigns. It also gives content teams a more efficient publishing workflow, enabling campaigns and updates to be launched more quickly across multiple international audiences.