In the remote hills of Benguela, Angola, lies the village of Kanenguerere. A small cluster of wooden huts with brushwood roofs stand alone amongst the sprawling rocky slopes. Dogs lie panting in the dust, seeking shelter from the heat. To the right a new brick building glints in the midday sun. Children in crisp shirts run in crazy loops, shrill with excitement.
This is where 14-year-old Aurora lives with her family. Bubbling with energy one moment, calm and thoughtful the next, she has lived in Kanenguerere for five years. Her family came here so that she and her younger siblings could go to school. But the village hides a terrible danger. The fields around her home are strewn with landmines, the legacy of Angola’s 27-year Civil War. Every landmine has the potential to kill or maim—and children, with their small, vulnerable bodies, suffer the most severe injuries.