LocationsHow Odella Madheu went from deminer to leader — and how Project RECLAIM is helping Zimbabwe's women and communities reclaim their land and futures.
Clearing the field
March 8, 2026
Odella Madheu with her young daughter — a reminder of the balancing act she has navigated for nearly a decade as both a mother and a deminer in Muzarabani District.
HALO Trust Zimbabwe
In August 2016, when Odella Madheu signed up to remove anti-personnel mines in her home area of Muzarabani village, it was uncommon for women to take on the dangerous task of clearing explosive ordnance. With only a handful of women ahead of her having walked that path, she had to figure out how to balance her duties as a mother at home with the precision and focus her assignment demanded in the minefield.
Now an Assistant Commander with the HALO Trust, Odella Madheu coordinates operations in the field — a role shaped by ten years of experience clearing landmines and mentoring fellow women de-miners.
HALO Trust Zimbabwe
A decade later, now an Assistant Commander with the HALO Trust, Odella draws on her expertise to keep her fellow workers safe; and on her experience to mentor other women deminers coming up behind her.
Like Odella, the field of demining has also changed over the past decade. More women are now clearing contaminated land of dangerous landmines, many of them inspired by Odella to pursue excellence both at work and at home.
UNDP, with financial support from the Embassy of Japan in Zimbabwe, has joined the demining effort through Project RECLAIM — an initiative focused on helping vulnerable communities become safer and more prosperous by clearing landmines and opening up land for agriculture and other economic activity. But the project goes beyond clearing mines. It ties mine action to long-term community development through risk education, support for victims, and strengthening the national institutions that keep the work going.
Being a mother and a leader at the same time isn't easy, but I'm grateful every day for the chance to serve my community and provide for my family through this work.Odella Madheu
Just as importantly, this support will continue to enable Odella and hundreds of women like her to thrive in dignified work and leadership.
This International Women's Day, we celebrate Odella and Zimbabwe's women deminers.
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