Field Updates

 

“Treasures Made by Bosnian Women’s Hands” July 2004.

"In June we received an invitation from local government representatives of the Municipalities of Novi Grad (Sarajevo) and Hadžici, to participate in their traditional week-long cultural events. We were eager to take part so that we could promote the organization and show the community the great work that our beneficiaries were capable of doing. We took great care in designing and preparing the exhibit, involving current and former beneficiaries in the process. We prepared a collection by choosing the best works from among the many beautiful and unique handicrafts made by our beneficiaries during their traditional and non-traditional training."

In June we received an invitation from local government representatives of the Municipalities of Novi Grad (Sarajevo) and Hadžici, to participate in their traditional week-long cultural events. We were eager to take part so that we could promote the organization and show the community the great work that our beneficiaries were capable of doing. We took great care in designing and preparing the exhibit, involving current and former beneficiaries in the process. We prepared a collection by choosing the best works from among the many beautiful and unique handicrafts made by our beneficiaries during their traditional and non-traditional training.

Although organizing exhibits to display the works of our beneficiaries is always important for us, this exhibit was particularly special because it would provide some of our past beneficiaries with an opportunity to gain new experience in promoting women’s issues in the community. These beneficiaries had received special training to become leaders in their community and to promote women’s rights and issues. They are now members of “Coordinating Boards” that organize activities to promote women’s rights and push women’s issues in the local government. Such Coordinating Boards were established this year in Sarajevo and Hadžici, and the members were thrilled to be a part of our exhibition, where they could promote the Boards' functions to all women in the community. Razija Bošnjak, program coordinator in Bosnia, said it was great to see “women who used to be our students, now participating in and leading these activities with such enthusiasm and devotion.”

We called our exhibit “Treasures Made by Bosnian Women's Hands”. It was opened by Damir Hadžic, the mayor of Novi Grad Municipality, in Sarajevo, and Esma Topalovic, deputy mayor of social activities and a member of the Coordinating Board in Hadžici. In Hadžici, the event took place at a center that organizes various activities and projects to help women living in poverty become more responsible for their lives and make their own decisions. At both events, community representatives were present, along with musicians from Sarajevo's School of Music, the media, hundreds of our beneficiaries and their families visited the openings and exhibits.

Several guests commented on the women's great artistic talent and skill. The beneficiaries were so proud to be a part of the exhibit and thrilled to show what they and their fellow participants were capable of when given the opportunity. They spoke about their work and the opportunities given to them through Women for Women International. The beneficiaries were very emotional when they spoke of the event and of the Organization. Zehra said: “This was the best experience in my life!” Dzena told us: “I feel so happy that I could cry,” while Emsa from Sokolje said: “My happiness would be complete if my sponsor-sister from the US was here today.” And Blazenka said she was “grateful to WWI for giving me this chance to improve my life.”

These events were therefore a great success in two areas: They showed the community the skill and talent of the women, and they provided an opportunity for Coordinating Board members to promote women's rights and issues in the community. Through both, the women in these communities gained greater attention and respect, which is one of the most important goals of Women for Women International in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Dienne Miller
Staff Member, Women for Women International - Bosnia and Herzegovina

"New Project Helps Women Become Leaders in their Community" February 2004

"Women for Women International in Bosnia has begun a new project to train women to become leaders in their communities. The success of the organization's previous project for the European Commission, “Women's Human Rights Training and the Role of Women Leaders in Rural Areas of Bosnia and Herzegovina”, encouraged us to offer further training in women's rights and leadership skills to women in other areas of the country. We wanted to provide more women living in rural areas with training and encouragement to become leaders in their communities . . . "

Women for Women International in Bosnia has begun a new project to train women to become leaders in their communities. The success of the organization's previous project for the European Commission, “Women's Human Rights Training and the Role of Women Leaders in Rural Areas of Bosnia and Herzegovina”, encouraged us to offer further training in women's rights and leadership skills to women in other areas of the country. We wanted to provide more women living in rural areas with training and encouragement to become leaders in their communities.

Because women in Bosnia are marginalized and excluded from most aspects of society (especially in rural parts of what is a mostly rural country), they have little chance of influencing politics in the country and usually play a very traditional role in the family. Women have little information on their basic human rights and are unaware of how to become leaders in society. It has been customary for boys to receive an education and girls to stay at home before and after they are married. The mentality in the rural parts of the country has been very damaging to women in BiH throughout the country’s history. To change this mentality and improve the lives of women, they must be educated.
Through participation in this project, women become more better aware of how they can solve problems and have greater influence in society through playing a stronger leadership role in their community. The project’s main goal is to train and encourage women to take a more active part in society and play a greater leadership role in their communities.

The current women's rights and leadership training project involves training 60 women from three municipalities for six months and then a second group of 60 women from an additional three municipalities during the second six months of this 12-month project. Beneficiaries are chosen from the organization's ongoing Renewing Women's Life Skills (ReneWLS) Program; those beneficiaries who express interest in and show potential for becoming leaders, are given the opportunity for further training through this current project. The first group of women are currently halfway through their training. They are participating in such seminars as Training for Trainers, Public Advocacy of Women’s Human Rights, and Recognition of Needs in the Community.

After participating in these seminars, the women use their newly acquired leadership skills in group discussions. Some beneficiaries assist the organization's workshop leaders in leading further discussions from A Woman's World, including such topics as Women and the Family, Women in Countries in Transition, and Women and the Economy.

Towards the end of the project, the women use their new skills to identify the problems that exist in their communities and discuss what action is necessary to solve such problems through the democratic process. They are able to take the knowledge and skills they learned and apply them to their own lives. There have been concrete results of this training with previous groups of women from similar projects: one group of beneficiaries used their leadership skills to work together and approached their local government to acquire a new bus line. They were successful in this, and have since petitioned for the building of a new school, as well as for having speed bumps put into a new road along which their children walk to school. The women clearly learned how to recognize problems and how to take the initiative to deal with them, which is crucial in rebuilding civil society in Bosnia.
The human rights and leadership training project also involves the formation of six Coordinating Boards (one in each of the target areas), consisting of ten women each, to represent women's rights and interests at the municipal level. At Municipal Assemblies, these Coordinating Boards will address new needs that arise regarding women’s interests and initiate new activities and programs in support of women’s issues.

After each group of beneficiaries completes the project, the organization, along with the beneficiaries, holds public meetings in each of the target areas with representatives of the local government, other NGOs, the media and local citizens, to inform them about the project and its results. In this way, the project's goal of creating awareness of women's rights and interests is spread further among the local population.

One of the greatest bonuses of this project is the large number of indirect beneficiaries. After the completion of the project, the women who have been trained to become trainers, will hold their own group meetings to make women better aware of their rights. In this way, hundreds of other women can also be educated in women's human rights. Other beneficiaries also include the families of all those who receive women’s human rights training, in particular the daughters and all young women in the communities where women’s human rights are taught; these young girls and women would grow up in a society where women’s rights are more respected and the role of women is better appreciated than it has been in the past and present.
Women for Women International’s work with the Coordinating Boards does not end with the completion of the project; we will continue to encourage the Coordinating Boards to extend their network to the local community councils who work on eliminating discrimination based on gender and promoting equal opportunities for women.

One beneficiary of this project, Seima from Hadzici, said: “I am beginning to understand the importance of women’s role in society. When I was young, I thought the only work I could do was in the home and being a mother. Those were the obligations of my own mother, I believe that was all she knew. I have also learned the importance of treating my daughter and son as equals.”


Dienne Miller
Staff Member, Women for Women International - Bosnia

"Breaking Traditional Molds in Bosnia," February 2004

"In Bosnia, especially in the rural areas of this mostly rural country, many women play a traditional role. This usually means being responsible for cooking, cleaning and looking after the children. Some women, however, are ready to break with this tradition and begin learning skills that have usually belonged to men. As Women for Women International in Bosnia provides women with an opportunity to learn such skills as shoe repair, carpentry and upholstery, some women are not only willing to try something different, but are welcoming such an opportunity . . . "

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, especially in the rural areas of this mostly rural country, many women play a traditional role. This usually means being responsible for cooking, cleaning and looking after the children. Some women, however, are ready to break with this tradition and begin learning skills that have usually belonged to men. As Women for Women International in Bosnia provides women with an opportunity to learn such skills as shoe repair, carpentry and upholstery, some women are not only willing to try something different, but are welcoming such an opportunity.

Through Women for Women International's ReneWLS Program, which has been active in Bosnia for six years as part of the Sponsorship Program, beneficiaries take 12 months of technical skills training. Each beneficiary chooses a skill they would like to learn; some learn traditional skills, such as weaving, knitting or embroidery, while others choose a non-traditional skill, such as shoe repair, upholstery or carpentry. Being part of a traditional society, women in Bosnia have tended to enroll in traditional as opposed to non-traditional courses, but over the past few years, greater numbers of women have been enrolling in the non-traditional skills training.

Women for Women International was offering their beneficiaries something new: skills training in a trade that has traditionally been seen as "men's work". Some women said they were surprised when they first heard that these non-traditional courses were being offered, but soon became very interested in learning more about them. Others jumped at the opportunity to learn a skill such as shoe repair, carpentry or upholstery.

I spoke to women in the Upholstery and Carpentry courses to find out why they had chosen a non-traditional course and how they were finding it. The women enrolled in both courses were in the tenth month of their twelve-month course, and so they had a good idea about what the course involved and how their new skills could be used in the future. When asked why they chose a non-traditional course, most women said they were keen to learn something new; many had learned traditional skills such as sewing and weaving when they were young, and they now welcomed the opportunity to learn a skill that was both new and challenging. They had never had the opportunity to learn a skill such as upholstery or carpentry. Some had relatives who didn't believe they could learn such a skill and asked them why they weren't taking a course such as sewing or embroidery.

One beneficiary, Alma, said: "I decided to take the Upholstery course because a non-traditional skill like this one is more useful in finding work or starting a small business." She recognized that in Bosnia, where people have little money for new products such as shoes and furniture, there is work in the field of repairing such products.

Alma also said she and another woman from her group were planning to start their own upholstery business after they completed their course. She said they would start off small, with friends and relatives as their initial clients, and then build their business from there.

Another beneficiary, Krista, enrolled in the Carpentry course, said she first had decided to take the Sewing course. But Krista became more curious about the Carpentry course and even though her husband had told her she wouldn't be able to learn carpentry, she changed her mind and enrolled in this non-traditional course. Ten months later she is very happy with this decision. She said that after her husband had seen what she had made in the course, he changed his mind. She even plans to work with him in his upholstery business.

Amela, also in the Carpentry course, said she was so happy when her husband asked for her opinion on a kitchen table that needed repair. She was able to tell him what could and what could not be done to fix the table.

Nazmiji, who says she joined the ReneWLS Program and enrolled in the Upholstery course "to escape the kitchen" is thrilled to have this one day a week for herself. She says that her family and friends know that Tuesdays are "her day" and that she is more complete for taking this course. Her main motivation is always her son, who is handicapped, and Nazmija wants to begin a business in which he can work. Because Bosnia does not have the social services that most Western countries have, she must always worry about providing for and looking after her son.

Another women in this group, Razija, said that she also planned to start her own small business after she completed the course. She is planning to join Women for Women International's Microcredit Lending Program to take a loan to start a business with her husband. She said they have the space in their home to start such a business and: "I already have ideas of the clients I hope to reach: I will make cushions and pillows and go to restaurants, hospitals, anywhere that uses these items. I have so many ideas!"

Ten months into the course, the women in the Upholstery course are able to upholster such pieces of furniture as stools, sofas and armchairs. In the Carpentry course, the women are proud to have made wooden stools, trays, ottomans and small windows. Acquiring these new skills increases their chances of income-generation; some women have been told that as soon as they receive their certificates at the end of the course they would be hired at a local furniture factory. Just as important, the courses also improves how the women feel about themselves. They all said that enrolling in these courses had changed their lives. Some said their self-confidence has increased dramatically, others said it was the first time they have really thought about doing something for themselves. They are also encouraging their friends and relatives to take a chance and do something different, not to assume they are committed to doing what has traditionally been seen as "women's work".

Dienne Miller
Staff Member, Women for Women International - Bosnia

"A Bittersweet Celebration as Beneficiaries Graduate from the Renewing Women's Life Skills (ReneWLS) Program" October 2003

"In October 2003, 803 Women for Women International beneficiaries completed their participation in the ReneWLS Program in Bosnia-Herzegovina. We were very happy to organize a graduation ceremony and celebration for these women from the Sarajevo, Sokolje, Breza, Kahve, Župca, Busovaca, Kacuni and Goražde centers . . . "

In October 2003, 803 Women for Women International beneficiaries completed their participation in the ReneWLS Program in Bosnia-Herzegovina. We were very happy to organize a graduation ceremony and celebration for these women from the Sarajevo, Sokolje, Breza, Kahve, Župca, Busovaca, Kacuni and Goražde centers.

The celebration was bittersweet for everyone; the women were excited and proud of everything they had learned over the previous 12 months, yet they were sad that the program had come to an end for them and that this was to be the last time they would all be together. Many had grown very close with the neighbors whom they had known very little about before Women for Women International had become part of their lives.

There were roughly 50 women for each graduation celebration, held at the center where their regular meetings had taken place. For this meeting, however, the women arrived dressed in their finest clothes. They had very few occasions in their lives to dress up, and for them, this was an occasion to do so. The walls of the room were covered in the woven and embroidered works that the women had made, creating a cozy atmosphere and giving tangible proof to the women’s capabilities. And the tables were covered with trays of the various foods that each woman had brought for the occasion.
During the first part of the gathering, Razija Bošnijak, ReneWLS program manager, handed out the eagerly awaited graduation certificates. As Razija said, the pride the women felt on this occasion was palpable; for many of them it was one of the most important moments of their lives. It was the first time that they, not their husbands or children, were the focus of something.They spoke emotionally of what they had learned in both the women’s rights training and skills training sessions, of the business and leadership skills they had attained. They also spoke of what the future held. For some women this meant applying for a microcredit loan through Women for Women International’s microcredit lending program to begin their own small businesses. Others had already begun small income-generating projects on their own, including selling their woven carpets and placemats in their communities. Other women were going to continue promoting women’s rights in their community and being involved in making changes through petitioning their local government. Some women in Sokolje had already been successful in having the local government build a new school for their children.

For each group, one woman had been elected by her fellow participants to give a speech. In speaking for all the women from the Kahve center, Azemina, said: “We are so grateful for this program, and to the organization Women for Women International, to the sponsors in the United States, handicraft designers and group leaders. We have learned a lot here, from how to improve small domestic activities to how to be better aware of our position in the family and in society. We have been so happy here, the meetings have given us encouragement to improve our lives, we have found friendship, and we have added color to our everyday lives. And we have learned that our role as women extends beyond our yards.”

In this final gathering for these women, it was very easy to recognize the changes that the women had undergone through the program. In the first meetings 12 months earlier, the women were mostly shy, closed and afraid to express their opinions. And now, because they were aware of their great value and of their rights, they were relaxed, open and eager to express their views.Mirsada from Busuvaca said: “Now I can see how much had been missing from my life. But it is never too late to make changes in your life – I learned that here.

Now I know things that help me have greater self-esteem, and to expect much more from life.”Muruveta from Busovaca said: "This program opened the door to a better life for me. We now can see that as women, we are very important link in the chain of life. Our self-confidence was restored and we learned how to have the most important things: hope, courage and strength."The mayor of Busovaca, who attended the graduation celebration in that town, said: “I remember when I came to the first meeting for these women. They were very shy and afraid. Now I see very different women, who have become strong and self-confident.”The women who graduated from the program are encouraged to maintain the changes they have made to their lives. They are happy knowing that communication with the organization does not have to end with their completion of the program, that all Women for Women International’s activities will continue at their centers and that they can contact the organization at any time. Some beneficiaries in fact have told us that their self-esteem will keep growing if they contact us from time to time. The women also expressed hope that as many women in Bosnia-Herzegovina as possible will participate in this program because there are still many women who need to recover their courage and self-esteem.