International Women's Day 2025

On March 8, International Women's Day, we celebrate the critical role women play in MAG’s work around the world, helping their communities recover and rebuild after the devastation wrought by war.

Women are peacebuilders, leaders, and caregivers and bring unique perspectives, insight, expertise and experience to post-conflict recovery and peacebuilding.

As conflict and insecurity continue to affect millions of people globally, the leadership of women – at every level – has never been more important.

These are the stories of the women of MAG – women working for peace:

For Antónia, demining is more than just a job. Growing up in Luena, she knew the dangers of landmines. 

But in 2009, those dangers became a reality when her 13-year-old cousin lost his arm and an eye after touching an explosive item.

“It was in one of the compounds behind us – just vegetation at the time. He found a strange metal object and started hitting it. It exploded.”

Now, as a deminer, clearing land near Luena, Antónia works to prevent more tragedies like his.

Over her five years with MAG, she has discovered countless landmines. She still remembers her first.

“The first time, I was shocked. I had to calm down and remind myself to follow procedures. Now, it’s routine, but I never forget the danger.

“In every minefield I work, I find mines – sometimes two or three times a month.”

A mother of three, Antónia made a difficult decision when she joined MAG.

“It was hard to leave my young family, but I knew this job would help so many people, including my own family.

"Where my cousin had his accident, there were no houses. Now, a community is living there. Minefields have turned into farms, and schools have been built.”

As a Community Liaison Assistant with MAG, Caren plays a crucial role in protecting lives through education. 

Working in the border areas of Mudzi District, she and her team visit local schools and community groups, teaching children and families about the dangers of landmines.

In Nyaugugu, where Caren often works, the school is attended by both Zimbabwean children and Mozambican students who cross the border – and the minefields – every day just to reach class. 

For many in the region, essential activities like fetching water or visiting family mean navigating these dangerous landscapes. Before MAG’s arrival, there were no safe routes, and people could only hope they wouldn’t be the next to step on an unexploded device.

Now, clearly marked paths guide the way, but knowledge is just as important as physical safety, and that’s where Caren’s work makes a difference.

Using songs, dances, and interactive lessons, she engages children in learning life-saving messages. A simple notebook with the words “Don’t touch mines. Mines kill.” can serve as a lasting reminder.

Caren’s dedication continues to protect communities across Zimbabwe, ensuring that fewer lives are lost to hidden dangers.

Every morning, as the sun rises over Luena, Helena begins her day with a routine unlike most. She drops her five-year-old daughter off at her mother’s house, then heads to work – not to an office, but to a minefield. 

Growing up in Luena, Helena knew the fear landmines brought to her community.

“We experienced a heavy civil war, especially in Moxico. Around the year 2000, we weren’t free to move around – we had to learn about the history of the area before traveling into it.”

Now, she is part of the effort to change that reality.

Each morning begins with a safety briefing before Helena and her team step onto the minefield. Every movement must be precise.

“The hardest part of the job is excavation as it’s very high risk,” she explains. “When you find an unexploded bomb, you have to work slowly and carefully. If you go too fast, it could detonate.”

Despite the risks, Helena is deeply committed to her work.

“Clearing mines doesn’t just reduce risk for local communities – it helps our families too. It means more land for agriculture and safer futures for all of us.”

Over her five years with MAG, she has found multiple landmines and unexploded ordnance. She vividly remembers the first time. “The first time I found a mine, I was shocked. I had to compose myself, concentrate, and follow the procedure – never touch it when you find it.”

Helena is determined to see more women join demining. “If I can do it, others can too,” she says, hoping to inspire confidence in future female deminers.

Siham, 24, was just 15 when Isis fighters arrived at her front door, in the city of Mosul.

"I remember one day, they came to the school. They were arguing about why we weren’t wearing hijabs. We didn’t know what they wanted."

She describes the fear of seeing her classmates disappear; many of them still haven’t returned to their families. 

In an effort to prevent her being taken by Isis, Siham’s parents arranged for her to be married to a 27-year-old man.   

One day, fighters appeared on her doorstep. Her new husband, who was about to leave to go to the mosque, was shot as he opened the door. He died in Siham’s arms.

"They killed him. My life was destroyed. I couldn’t imagine that I would stand on my feet again."

Siham remained in Mosul for the three years Isis occupied the city, not wanting to leave due to the strict control the terror group maintained.

"They said, if you try to leave, you will be killed." Ten years on, after slowly rebuilding her life following the liberation of her city from ISIS, she now works to clear the explosives they left behind.

"We are proud to tell girls that there is nothing to say that you can’t go to work."

For the last 12 years, Soohitha has been part of MAG, and for the past 18 months, she has taken on the role of team leader, past year and a half.

Her connection to the cause is deeply personal. Like many in her region, she has witnessed firsthand the devastating effects of conflict.

Beyond her work, Soohitha balances caring for her siblings. She joined MAG with a clear purpose: to prevent others from enduring the hardships she has faced. 

Through her role, she plays a critical part in making her community safer and helping it recover.

“I took on this job to contribute even in a small way to saving our community,” she says.

Before the full-scale invasion, Tetiana and her husband ran a family business in Mykolaiv. 

When war transformed their lives, they joined the Red Cross, helping evacuate and support refugees. But as the situation evolved, Tetiana saw another urgent need – demining. She wanted to do more for her country, to make a lasting impact.

Her journey has not been easy, and at first, her eight-year-old daughter struggled to understand. But as explosive ordnance risk education became part of school lessons, her daughter began to see the importance of her work – though she still worries.

Despite the risks, Tetiana is proud of what she does: “I really like my work, and I’m excited that MAG takes the safety of employees very seriously.”

Minga was just six years old when her life changed forever. Playing outside, she found what looked like an old tin. She picked it up, trying to brush off the sand. In an instant, it exploded – a reminder of a war that ended before she was even born.

“When I had my accident, I was just a small child. I thought my life was over.”

Now 21, Minga has spent the last five years working as a Community Liaison Officer with MAG, using her own experience to educate others.

“Telling my personal story is always the last thing we do in risk education sessions – it helps people understand what the real dangers are.”

Every day, Minga travels to different villages, ensuring communities know how to stay safe. “Everywhere we go, people listen, they learn, and they even report new UXOs.”

Angola has made great progress in the 22 years since peace was restored. Now a mother to a three-year-old son and a one-year-old daughter, Minga is grateful that her children are growing up in a safer environment.

“The biggest difference between my childhood and theirs is that they can play freely.”

Still, when they’re old enough, she will make sure they learn the same life-saving lessons she teaches others. Through her work, Minga is not only protecting communities today – she is helping to ensure a safer future for generations to come.

Over the last year, MAG has collaborated with five renowned women photographers from South East Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Europe as part of the Female Lens project, capturing the experience of our female staff and the role they play in rebuilding communities after conflict.

Read about some of MAG's leaders, and the photographers who documented their work here.

Header image credit: Yagazie Emezi