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The Lutheran World Federation
Lutheran World Information |
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| 28.05.2004 |
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| FEATURE: The Balkans - Returning Home |
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LWF Regional Program Offers Hope for a Fresh Start
MONTREUX, Switzerland/GENEVA, 28 May 2004 (LWI) – In 1999, Boso Cosic and his wife were among the first Serbian refugees to return to the Sanski Most region of Bosnia-Herzegovina. They lived at the refugee center there until their house was rebuilt. Their son, daughter-in-law, and their three school-age children were not sure whether they dare return. They eventually did so last year, and requested the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) for assistance. Building materials they received were used to extend the family house. As beneficiaries of an agricultural project of the LWF Department for World Service (DWS) Balkans Program, the family began to grow cucumbers and strawberries. Additional support in the latter half of 2003 went toward purchase of agricultural equipment to boost farm production.
There are often three generations returning together, according to Ms Hermine Nikolaisen, LWF regional representative in the Balkans. This demonstrates people’s yearning for their homeland and hope for a new beginning, she notes. She spoke of the Cosic family’s case at this year’s DWS Annual Forum in Montreux, Switzerland. In an interview with Lutheran World Information (LWI) she said, “My vision for the Balkans is one in which political and economic stability are achieved, enough jobs are available, and peaceful coexistence between the various ethnic groups is possible.”
The LWF representative is unwavering in her conviction despite renewed conflicts in Kosovo between Albanians and Serbs in mid-March. At least 19 people were killed and hundreds injured in the violence in which over 3,000 minority group members, mainly Serbs, were forced to flee. Almost 30 Serbian Orthodox churches and monasteries were burnt down or extensively damaged, and around 800 Serbian homes destroyed.
Nikolaisen cites one possible cause of the violence as Kosovo’s still undetermined status. Kosovo Albanians are in favor of creating an independent state, whereas the Serbs reject such aspirations, she notes.
Helping Rebuild Destroyed Homes
In 1992 millions of people were forced to leave their homes during ethnic conflicts in the former Yugoslavia. That was the same year Nikolaisen came to the Balkans as LWF regional representative. She was transferred to Kenya in 1998 and led the LWF Kenya/Sudan program until 1999, returning to the Balkans in 2000. For over ten years, the LWF regional program has served Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo and Vojvodina.
During the war in the Balkans, LWF focused on providing humanitarian assistance. Such help is still needed in order to enable people make a fresh start in their homeland. In 1999, when almost one million Kosovo Albanians returned home, LWF and Action by Churches Together (ACT) International, the Geneva-based global network of churches and partner organizations responding to emergencies, collaborated to help 5,400 families rebuild their homes. Water-supply systems and 40 kilometers of access roads were restored. Many wish to return, Nikolaisen stresses, but it is difficult. They have neither money nor construction materials to rebuild their devastated homes. There are few opportunities to earn income.
LWF provides assistance toward reconstruction of homes and offers support for agricultural activities. Support to repatriating refugees includes a visit to their hometowns for assessment of conditions that await them. They have an opportunity to talk to friends and neighbors to find out how they are settling back and earning a living. The returnees then receive construction materials and loans from the LWF to rebuild homes. The DWS Balkans program gives advice on income-generating activities in agriculture. Despite great need, the regional program cannot assist everyone. It mainly focuses on the most vulnerable groups.
Many Factors Contribute to Instability in the Region
The LWF representative believes there are several factors that contribute to instability in the Balkans. Since mid-2003, the Kosovo Albanians have felt they no longer receive sufficient support from non-governmental organizations. In their view, there also has been strong and somewhat exclusive support for the return of the Serbian minority during this time. Nikolaisen describes the renewed outbreak of violence and its potential, particularly among young people, as frightening. Other concerns include low educational standards, shortage of training opportunities as well as promising career development for young people in a region with a 60-70 percent unemployment rate.
The DWS Balkans program currently has five international and 120 national employees with a budget of USD 18 million, according to the regional representative. She points out that many other aid organizations have left the Balkans due to insufficient funding. This has significant consequences for the population, she adds.
In March 2004, the German global television network Deutsche Welle, aired the documentary film “Friedensstifter auf dem Balkan” as part of its series on issues of faith. The documentary, a compilation of stories about some of the families, depicts LWF’s work in the region. (798 words)
(Written for LWI by Klaudia Zimmermann, youth trainee in the LWF Office for Communication Services.)
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