Srce na Sarajevo (Heart of Sarajevo)

"All you need is an idea and hope".  This is what an old Bosnian lady named Aida told me as we visited a newly refurbished preschool in the small town of Olivo, which is about 50km from the capital of Bosnia and Herzergovina, Sarajevo.  Aida is part of a remarkable organisation comprised mostly of women from the small community, who are successfully running a range of economic and social programs including greenhouse co-operatives, preschools and community centres.  World Vision has been one of many partners with the group over the past 5 years, but it is the spirit and determination of the women that is most impressive.  

Refurbished preschool in Olivo

The vast majority of ladies in the group lost their husbands as well as other family members in the brutal war that took place in Bosnia and the Balkans through the mid 90's.  Towns such as Olivo were close to the front lines, and were virtually destroyed in the conflict, along with systematic ethnic cleansing and forced population movements.  Aida and her colleagues told me that after the war they had lost everything.  They had a choice to either grieve for the rest of their lives, or turn their pain into something good.  It was from these roots that their organisation of community volunteers was founded.  There was a remarkable spirit and resilience about these ladies, and I had to laugh when I asked how they had funded some of the other children's projects in the town.  Their answer was that they have had to be very resourceful, and that the occasional win at the local bingo draw has also helped!  


The beautiful forests and mountains surrounding Olivo hide one of the darker legacies of the Bosnian conflict.  More than 1 million landmines remain unexploded in the country, and vast areas of land and forests are still inaccessible as a result.  Tragically each year a number of people are still wounded or killed in landmine accidents, including many children.

Downtown market in Sarajevo

It's been a privilege to spend time in Bosnia this week, and to visit various World Vision field offices and programs. We've also spent time meeting with local and regional staff in Sarajevo.  Sarajevo is a different looking city from 10 years ago when Sarah and I were last here. Reconstruction has progressed, although the signs of the war are still apparent.  I have always been struck by the geographic beauty of the city, and it's location in a long valley surrounded by mountains.  This geographic setting also tragically also served as the amphitheatre for the siege of Sarajevo, which is the longest siege in modern warfare history, lasting for almost four years between 1992 and 1996.  Even today as you walk through the city, red paint on the sidewalks marks where many people were killed by snipers or shelling.  It is estimated that approx 400 shells were lobbed onto the city each day for 4 years from the surrounding mountains, with 3500 on one particular day in 1993.  It's hard to even begin to imagine the impact this would have on the thousands of children and families holed up in the city?  Casualties were very high, with estimates of more than 10,000 people killed during the siege, and more than 60,000 wounded (including atleast 15,000 children).

The infamous bridge in Sarajevo where Archduke
Franz Ferdinand of Austria was assassinated in 1914.
This event led to the outbreak of World War 1.

Whilst the Bosnian conflict ended 15 years ago, the country remains in a political, economic and social deadlock.  Some say 
that while the Dayton Agreement ended a war, it also made future development of the country virtually impossible.   The lines of the conflict remain frozen, and Bosnia essentially has two semi-autonomous ethnic regions present within: Replika Srpska and the Federation.  Parallel governments, parallel heath and education systems, and virtually parallel economies, both with very limited scope to expand.  
It is hard to comprehend the physical and psychological impacts of the Bosnian war, many of which are still evident today.  However groups such as Aida and her committed female colleagues in Olivo show that from brokenness, grief and despair can emerge a sense of hope and resilience.   


The music clip below is called Miss Sarajevo, and was a joint collaboration between U2 and Pavarotti.  It is based on a short film of a beauty pageant that was held in Sarajevo in the midst of the war in 1993.  The film captures the dark humour of a besieged population and their stubborn refusal to be demoralised through the conflict.  

Hills above Olivo.  Mosque and church in close proximity.