Laura's Bosnia Blog-Part 11 - 9/18/09

Bosnia Blog Part 11 - Fri., 9/18/09, 11:30 p.m

We spent the day in Olovo today and visited the Women’s Association there.  We visited a greenhouse and we met Safija, a widow who has 7 children.  They are a very poor family and she has just joined the Women’s Association 10 days ago.  

She works when her oldest son is at home to take care of the younger children and he works when she is a home.  Her work is digging potatoes and other agricultural work.  She did not go to school and feels fortunate to be able to send her children to school.  She said that when she is at the Women’s Association, she is able to relax and she was so thankful to be a part of it.  Her hope for the future is for her children to stay in and finish school.                                  

She said that it is very difficult because the books are so expensive that it is difficult to come up with the money.  She found out this morning that we were going to be visiting her in her home, so she dyed her hair in anticipation of our arrival.  She was a very proud and strong woman.

After visiting with Safia, we went to Taiba’s home where she keeps and cares for the cow and heifer (a young cow that has not yet given birth to a calf) that she and another woman haverecently received from World Vision.  It is called the 2 for 1 program because the heifer is delivered to the women pregnant….  The vaccinations and all veterinary care are covered by World Vision.  After giving birth, the cow is then used for dairy and the women are able to support their families with the milk they produce.

Our final stop for the day before heading back to Sarajevo was to the EKI office, which is the Microfiniti (Micro Finance) office in Bosnia.  

We went to the market place where we met a loanrecipient.  She had received a loan 2 years ago and opened a booth to sell clothing.  One year later she received a 2^nd loan and opened more stands.  She has one year left to repay her loans and then she hopes to receive another loan so that she can continue to expand in the market place.  Someday she would like to have her own storefront.

During this past week I have learned in bits and pieces about a tunnel that was dug under the runways at the Sarajevo airport during the war.  I will try to piece it all together and hopefully my information will be accurate.  This tunnel was built by hand by Bosnian Army soldiers and volunteers under the airport runways during a period of approximately 4 months. 

Because it was built in secret, the work had to be done at night and the problem of where to put the earth was a challenge.  They ended up scattering it in the hills close-by.   The tunnel originated in the garage of a home and was 720 meters (approximately 2400 feet) long and 1.60 (5 feet) meters high.  It linked the city of Sarajevo, (which the Serbian Army had cut off entirely) to the U.N. controlled area at the airport, which was considered “neutral”.  

While it was originally meant to be used by the military as their means of routing soldiers and weapons in and out of the city of Sarajevo, it also became a lifeline for Bosnians trapped in the city forfood, water and humanitarian aid and freedom for some.  In order to pass through the tunnel, civilians had to know someone and/or pay a steep fee.  The home is now a museum and it is a symbol of the courage and resilience of the Bosnian people during the war.  You can walk about 20 meters through the tunnel, which must be a humbling experience. 

Laura's Bosnia Blog-Part 10 - 9/17/09

Bosnia Blog-Thurs., 9/17/09, 9:30 am

Today began at 5:30 am, when my alarm startled me out of my slumber.  

We had an early breakfast of coffee, orange juice, bread, cheese, hard-

boiled eggs and delicious tomatoes from Remza, our greenhouse lady.  

The owners of the hotel are a very sweet, soft-spoken Bosnian couple  who are probably in their sixties.  The husband makes breakfast and  

serves us each morning.  Soon after eating, we were on the road, overnight bags loaded in the van, on our way to Zvornik.

We were driving along a beautiful mountainous country road, sharing  

stories of our families when we came around a bend in the road.   

Suddenly our driver, Kennan, slammed on his brakes. Ahead of us, in  

the middle of the road was a VERY LARGE COW!  There was a semi-truck  

to our left, going the opposite direction so Kennan had no choice but  

to hit her.  She went down, then quickly stood back up and continued  

on down the road.

We all got out of the van to survey the damage, which was minimal. It  

was necessary to phone the Bosnian police to file a report for  

insurance purposes.  They arrived within 20 minutes, but we are still  

here, one hour later, waiting for.....ummmmm.....I'm not really sure.   

Perhaps the insurance company?

We have not been short on entertainment during our wait. After a quick  

trip to the side of the road behind some bushes for a restroom break,  

Angela taught us a round to sing that had something to do with six old  

ladies stuck in a lavoratory for days....

Next, it was darling (yes, she really is a darling 24 year-old Bosnian  

woman) Maja's (our guide/interpreter/liaison for the week) turn to  

teach us the Rumba. There we were, standing on the side of the road,  

Barry Manilow playing the acoustic version of Copacabana on my iPhone  

(they asked for it!), learning the Rumba.  We were quite a sight to  

see. I can only imagine what the very serious police officers were  

thinking of us. I say serious because when they pulled up and got out  

of their car, several of us attempted to capture the event on camera.  

We received a stern shake of the head and hand....we were NOT allowed  

to photograph them!

10:00 am

Well, we are on our way again, police report properly filed. While  

waiting, we chatted with one of the officers and discovered that he is  

hoping to open a Bed & Breakfast in the coming year here in Bosnia. He  

has hope for the future of his country but becomes discouraged at the  

complacency of those around him. We ended up shaking hands and even  

getting a group photo with them before leaving.  What a difference an  

hour makes....

11:00 pm

We continued on our journey and arrived in Djulici around 12:30 pm. We  

were meeting with a women's group called "Anima" which means soul or  

spirit.  We met in Saaraba's home and sat at a long table for lunch.  

This group of 9 women had cooked a traditional Bosnian lunch for us.   

The table was set beautifully, with china, glassware and tablecloths.  

Angela told us that the women likely spent weeks preparing for us,  

gathering, amongst themselves, their very best. Bosnian women are very  

proud and they want us to see how strong they are and how well they  

are doing. It was quite moving.

We all sat at the table but some of the women, the Muslim women, didn't join us as it is Ramadan  

and they fast during the day. We had such wonderful food...meat pies,  

cheese pies, dolmas, soup, tomato salad, sausage, chicken, beef, and  

dolmas. For dessert they served baklava and it was amazing!

After lunch, they joined us at the table to tell us their stories.  These women live in a village that is made up of 90% women and 10% men.

Saarada, whose house we were at told us that on June 1st, 1992, seven hundred men, aged 15 - 80 were taken away. The Serbian Army came back and took the women and children  

in trucks toward Tuzla. They were beaten and stoned. 

Shaharizad said that the women and children were sorted into groups, and about 100 women without children  

were taken to a high school gymnasium where they were constantly  

beaten and abused.  She said that they were there day and night and  

that during that time, she just thought, "How can I die?  I just want  

to die."

Hira told us that the women and children who were not taken to the school were dropped off on the road, left to walk to Tuzla.  In Tuzla, they stayed in a  

building that the Serbian army had abandoned, but they had left it  

very dirty. They had been using the building as a toilet. This was  

"home" for the women and their children for two months.

Hira spoke of a terrible day in 1995 when they were being  

shot at with grenades....14 people were killed....some babies. She was  

shot that day but her children were not. She hates that her children had to live through that.  She wishes that her children had her childhood rather than the one they had to live through.

During all this time, the women held out hope that the men from their  

village were still alive.  In 2000, they returned to their village and  

this was when they began finding mass graves....and discovered that  

they had all been massacred. They have now identified 400 of the  

men....they are trying to find the other 300. Fata told us that  

her husband and two sons had been taken on that day in 1992. She has  

found her husband and one son but is still trying to find her other son.

In Tuzla, there were psychological workshops called Anima for the  

women and when they arrived back home in their village, Anima came to  

help them start their own group.  Many of them say that without the  

workshops, they still would not be able to speak of the war.  Their  

stories were so moving and the courage in that room was compelling.  

There was not a dry eye.

My heart feels so heavy....I cannot imagine the horrors they have  

lived through....the images that will never leave their minds.  They  

hold out such hope for the future, though. This hopefulness keeps  

shining through as we travel throughout Bosnia and meet with women.   

They have greenhouses that they are caring for together.

This amazing, brave group of women have worked so hard to rebuild their homes and

their lives.  80% of them are doing agriculture such as greenhouses, open fields,

animals (goats, chickens, sheep). 

 Everyone has chickens. They would all love to have a cow but the physical labor is hard.  Hira does have a cow from World Vision. They have hope that their children will have a bright future. They are all in school and their goal is for them to all graduate high school and continue on to college.  I am struck by how similar all women are...no matter the race, culture or religious affiliation....we all want the best for our children.

When asked what message they would like for us to take back to the  

States, they said that they wish that we and our children will never  

have to live through war.  These were such caring, compassionate and  

thoughtful women. Never before have I been so touched and inspired.

Laura's Bosnia Blog-Part 9 - 9/16/09

Bosnia Blog-Wed., 9/16/09, 10:30 p.m.

This morning started with a wonderful breakfast of fresh baked rolls, cheese and tomatoes from Remza’s greenhouse.  They are somewhat like our Heirloom tomatoes….sweet, tasty…perfect!  We have enough for breakfast every day.  

We drove to Sokolac this morning and met with Father Milorad, of Project “Christian Commitment” @ the Orthodox Church, who is highly respected among the community.

He told us that people had a great life in the former Yugoslavia….they had the sea, the mountains, they had everything.  Now they have nothing and therefore they have no hope.  Life used to be such that if you got a job, you were given an apartment.  Inter-marriage was okay…even good.  What was once normal – a job, home, culture, art – is now rare.  The people live as intergenerational families because they can’t support themselves. People never had to think much about quality of life….they just “had” it.  Now the younger generation is learning that is a 41 % unemployment rate in the country. Father Milorad has broken down barriers and bridged the gap for these people and they are very thankful for his work. 

We spent the afternoon at Project ADP Krivaja at an association of support for disabled persons.  The work being done in this project was very inspiring.  We met Milimirka, a 19 year-old woman who works in the copy shop on the ground floor of the building.  She is so thankful to be working and contributing to her community.  Her favorite thing about her job is simply that she is employed….that she receives a salary, pension and health insurance.  She works 5 days a week in the copy shop and then on the weekends she helps with art workshops for kids.  She went to a special high school for disabled persons and received a diploma.  During school she worked at the project and is now successfully employed. 

Elena is one of the members of the project who does handi-work.  She and a team of women were knitting sweaters, blankets and miscellaneous items for a period of 4-5 years.  They were then taken to the US and sold by a woman who eventually became ill and is no longer able to sell them.  She cannot sell her goods in any other country because getting the goods to other countries is cost-prohibitive.  It comes down to getting VISA’s and money for transportation.  This is a worldwide problem…creative women who are stuck with no means of selling their goods.  Elena loved modeling for us many of the sweaters she has made.  She was quite entertaining!

This evening we walked to Old Town Sarajevo for dinner.  We found a restaurant with tables on the sidewalk and we (well, Jeanie and I) ordered a traditional Bosnian dish called Cevapcici, pronounced “CheVAPchichi”.  It was wonderful and everyone else MISSED OUT!!!  The dish is made of grilled minced meat (beef and lamb) hand-mixed and formed with a funnel.  They are served in flatbread or somun with chopped onions and cheese similar to ricotta.  Ohhhhh…..were they good!

We also had tomatoes, a delicacy here that we’ve enjoyed with every meal.  Angela introduced us to a beverage that is not available in California called Bitter Lemon.  It is a bit like carbonated lemonade and is very tart…not very sweet.  We’re all hooked!

Laura's Bosnia Blog-Part 8 - 9/15/09

Laura's Bosnia Blog-Tuesday, September  15, 2009, 11:00 pm

I think that my body just might adjust to the time change by next  

Tuesday....when it's time to go home....fortunately, I seem to be  

feeling quite well during the day. Perhaps it's all the Turkish coffee  

I've been drinking.

We're staying at a very small hotel called Hotel Kavaci, right in the  

heart of Sarajevo. It's a quaint little hotel with only 8 rooms, 6 of  

which we are staying in. The rooms are nice-sized, clean and bright.  

We have breakfast in the lobby area and the bread and rolls they serve  

are just delicious.

We traveled about an hour this morning to a town called Visko where we  

met with the women who run the Roma Association called "Be My Friend".  

Roma (Gypsy) women are very vulnerable to being exploited and abused  

but, at the same time are very strong.

The World Vision staff do everything they can to help the girls to get  

an education. There are so many obstacles for these families.  

Sometimes it is something as simple as having only one pair of shoes  

that two children need to share. Only one child is then able to go to  

school and of course, if there is a boy and a girl in the family, the  

boy will be the one chosen to be educated. If the girls are placed in  

school, they are frequently pulled out at age 11 or 12 for marriage.  

One of the reasons that it is so important for the girls to receive a  

diploma is that it is the first legal document that they receive with  

their name on it. Since 80% of Roma babies are born at home, they  

don't have birth certificates.

There are a lot of single young Roma women. Very often, their fathers  

were killed and their husbands have left them. The families push their  

pregnant teenage daughters out of their homes and the girls try to  

live with the father of their children, regardless of the cost.  There  

is so much abuse and rape that these women are subjected to. When they  

find themselves without a man to provide for them, they will sometimes  

leave their children in orphanages because they have no means to care  

for them.

This project exists to empower Roma girls and women in Bosnia....to  

teach them ways to provide for themselves and their families because  

women better understand the need for inclusion than Bosnian men. The  

men are very old-fashioned, living in old tradition, not understanding  

their families needs.

One of the businesses the women are taught is sewing and/or tailoring.  

The loan provides them with a sewing machine, table and instruction.  

After sewing for about six months, Women of Vision sets up an  

exhibition for them to sell their goods.

Another business the women have started are greenhouses. World Vision  

sets up a beautiful greenhouse on a woman's property. She agrees to  

provide the land, the irrigation and the seeds for a period of 5  

years. There is a group of women who share the workload of one  

greenhouse. We were treated to a visit to Remza's home where we saw  

her greenhouse. She and the 9 other women in her group had planted  

tomatoes and peppers which were about ready to be harvested. They had  

recently planted spinach which provides a very good source of income.  

She was a wonderful  

woman who was clearly a hard-worker. When asked who did the digging to  

prepare the soil, she flexed her arm muscles, slapped her hand to her  

chest and said in Bosnian, "Me!". We asked what her biggest challenge  

is and she said that "life is a battle.". I'm sure she knows more  

about that than any of us ever will. She indulged us by picking 9  

tomatoes off the vine and sending them home with us.

Next we were off to visit Jasmina (not our interpreter), who is a  

single mother raising chickens for the eggs. She had fixed up the  

bottom floor of her home but the 2nd floor was left unfinished,  

windows blown out. Her daughter is 18, in school working toward her  

diploma and hoping to go to University. The biggest obstacle will, of  

course be finances.

We then headed to the home of a Roma family living high on the side of  

a mountain. They have 4 children who are in school and 12 others who  

were at the house.  They were an example of a family that have not  

received any aid or help. They are living in deep poverty. There were  

3 women living there, ranging in age from approximately 23-29 years  

old (we think).  They are married to brothers who were off collecting  

tin, paper & iron. One of the women told us that she was married at 12  

and had her first child at 13. They do not have a stove to heat the  

home, so they don't know how they'll survive the winter.  The rest of  

the school age children were likely still at home because they didn't  

have clothes or shoes to wear to school. The children were so happy  

and loved the candy we gave them and LOVED having their picture taken  

and then looking at it!  The girls were separated from their parents  

10 years ago and they have no idea where they are now. It was so sad  

to see how poor, dirty and hopeless they were.

Finally we went to Jasmina's home. I was so looking forward to doing  

this. No wonder Angela thinks so much of her....she is an amazing,  

brilliant, kind and resourceful woman. She has been through the  

unimaginable....after the war broke out, she and her family stayed in  

their home for six months until they were forced to leave. During that  

time, they would hide in a hole that they'd dug on the side of their  

house (photo above from the war) and then at night, would crawl along a ditch to get food or go  

to neighbor's homes. The snipers were up in the hills, just watching  

for them....ready to shoot at all times.  One day she went out on her  

porch to get an item of clothing that she'd hung on the line the night  

before and she was shot at twice (photo above from that day during the war.)

Her entire family was there-her husband, 3 kids, their spouses and her  

grandchildren. They were a beautiful family, full of laughter, yet  

there was underlying sadness, after all they've been through and the  

stress of future.

They prepared a delicious traditional Bosnian lunch for us. We had  

soup, dolmas, cheese and meat pie, salad (tomatoes, onions, goat  

cheese), chicken, potatoes, and homemade bread.  It was so  

incredible....sitting in her very safe, happy home....knowing what had  

gone on there only 16 years ago.

We stayed the entire afternoon, heading back to the hotel at around  

6:30 pm. What an emotional day this was.  I'll never forget all that I  

saw and heard.