2004 Bosnia and Herzegovina Study Tour
Dawn Marie Lemonds' Journal

September 11, 2004

Dear family and friends,

I got up extra early this morning to write a little impression of this most marvelous trip I am having on this journey to Bosnia and Herzegovina. We have a computer downstairs at our precious little hotel and you can imagine that the Soroptimists are stacked up to send their messages home and read their emails. I already have about 20 pages of handwritten notes and thought I better bite the bullet and get up before the call to prayer and start typing. . .

Call to prayer: I was so thrilled to hear the Muslim call to prayer at five in the morning again – and then throughout the day -- just as we did two years ago. In some sweet way it made me feel as if I returned home. Yesterday I learned from my new friend Nada -- who is a Soroptimist here in Sarajevo and attorney working for the government --.that you must NOT call a MOSQUE a CHURCH. I find out how sloppy we Americans can be with our language and enjoy getting English instruction from people from other lands, for whom English is not their first language!.

So … we, President Vicki Hobbs of SIA and I arrived late -- our connection didn't make it -- and we were stranded in Vienna (is that a song?). Thank goodness Vicki and I met up in Heathrow. We had lots of long, late-night chats with the airline -- we had been up for about 34 hours by that time and were a little bit cranky -- and we were given a hotel room each and a voucher for dinner. We got to schlep our luggage around Vienna, including my 57 pounds of yarn and beads donated by Soroptimist and friends for the program participants to use in their work over here.

So, we arrived late the next afternoon and it was like the grandest of homecomings. The women in the Women for Women International Sarajevo office are so marvelous and the friendships we had made two years ago were immediately reattached, and now included our 13 travel companions.

Erica Tavares from Women for Women International in Washington, DC and I have been dreaming this tour for two years, since we last came here. Now the dream of connecting with 11 Soroptimists from 7 countries around the world was now a dream come true. Our trip participants are: United Kingdom: Jackie Paling, Joan Francis, and Kate Moore; New Zealand: Yvonne Simpson; Austria: Heidi Konrad; Bosnia and Herzegovina: Nada Sucik and Djanna; Turkey: Ayla Selcuk; Malaysia: Indrani Manual; and USA: Vicki Hobbs, Joy Donelson and I; Marilyn Barrett, Women for Women International Business Advisory Council member; and Erica and Ricki from Women for Women International’s Washington, DC office. Each of the women has given a lot of their personal time and treasures to do this and will surely be AMBASSADORS extraordinaire of the project.

Today is Saturday, and since we arrived on Tuesday night we have had non-stop meetings, meal-ings, and experiences that fill our minds and hearts. We were given a marvelous overview of the entire program on Wednesday morning by our friend and the Women for Women International Bosnia and Herzegovina Country Director Seida Saric. She is absolutely an inspiration! Each of the key staff gave an introduction to their area of expertise in the program. The Soroptimists, in true form, immediately jumped in and started asking many questions, giving suggestions and all of us had an intense, translated and very passionate discussion – the first of many to follow -- about our mutual project, Project Independence - Women Survivors of War.

We were also shown an exhibition of the beautiful handicrafts made by the women in the program, to lure us to shopping opportunities to come later. We also have three Project Independence products – coasters, bookmarks, and embroidered bags -- with our Project Independence logo on it, that some of us will bring back for resale.

Impressions:
There are so many impressions I have coming back here, and I realize I have said so many words and not told you much about the program. Details will come later. This is just a flow monologue that I wanted to share with you and any person you want to pass this on to.

A few impressions about Bosnia and Herzegovina jump out to me this time:

-- A tremendous amount of rebuilding has happened since we were here before in 2002;
-- There appear to be lots more businesses and lots more foreign businesses;
-- A key theme at Women for Women International is to partner with other organizations, to complement services and not duplicate things that are already being provided. Seida says that, surprisingly to us, life is much more difficult than it was 5 years ago and organizations have to work together to provide opportunities for women;
-- Quality of production and the cost of living is also terribly important. Women are learning and producing quality products and have the constant struggle of making a living wage;
-- Women share so many of the same burdens, joys and challenges in the world so connections to heart are easily made. Those of us here have much to share, and much to learn as well.

My most important impression is about the women. We have already been mesmerized by the stories, the smiles, the kindness, the hospitality, the strength, the courage, and the commitment to make their lives better by the WOMEN in this program. It thrills me to see my travel companions come to the awakening about this wonderful project like Erica and President Joan and I did two years ago. People's lives are changed and we get to be a part of it.

To all of you who donated products -- thanks! It was like Christmas when we opened our parcels, and yarn, embroidery thread and beads tumbled out. It will really make a difference to the women.

Today we will do a bit of sight-seeing and attend SI Sarajevo's 5th anniversary party!
There are so many stories to tell … some of them will have to stay here of course … but let me assure you that we have been made to feel like extremely honored and valued partners by our very talented and warm-hearted hosts. It is a privilege to represent our organization in this wonderful collaborative project.

I will share more later this week. I know this is a long note, but I wanted to bring you a little into my journey. Thanks for being in my heart with me.

Dawn Marie Lemonds
Quadrennial Project Liaison