This Article is From Jun 22, 2010

Why this Prince Harry trip brings Diana to mind

Why this Prince Harry trip brings Diana to mind
New Delhi: Thirteen years after his late mother sparked an international outcry when she walked though a live minefield to highlight the shocking legacy of anti-personnel landmines....Now Prince Harry has rekindled Diana's legacy during a secret trip to war-torn Mozambique. The prince spent two days with the HALO Trust (Hazardous Areas Lifesupport Organisation), which also engineered the princess's visit to Angola less than eight months before she died. HALO is a British charity specialising in the removal of the hazardous debris of war, and the world's largest demining agency. Harry was given training on HALO equipment and clearance techniques, and then went on to detonate an M969 anti-personnel mine under the supervision of the trust's deminers....wearing protective visor and body armour....just like his mother had done.

He spent the night sleeping with working deminers in their tented camp. On Sunday, Harry visited villages near the Cahora Bassa dam in Mozambique's Tete Province, where hundreds of families live within metres of more than 30 thousand mines. He was also able to meet just a handful of the country's estimated 30,000 victims. He was particularly moved by a 14-year-old boy called Delisso, who lost his leg after stepping on device while herding goats for his father. including a boy who had lost his leg while herding cattle.

A St James's Palace spokesman said 'Prince Harry was extremely impressed by the work he saw being undertaken by the Halo team. He has heard many times over the years through his mother and during his military career of the devastation landmines cause. The prince is pleased to have had the opportunity to learn more about Halo's work first hand.' Prince Harry has been working in Africa for the past week, conducting his first joint tour with his brother, William, and will fly on to new New York this weekend to play in a charity polo match and highlight the work being done by charities on behalf of military victims of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

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