Updated: March 2009
Bosnia-Herzegovina
Overview | World Vision's history in Bosnia-Herzegovina | World Vision in Bosnia-Herzegovina today
OverviewBosnia-Herzegovina, located on the Balkan Peninsula in southeastern Europe, is bordered by Croatia to the north and west, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast. The country is almost completely landlocked, except for 15 miles along the Adriatic Sea. The state of Bosnia takes up the northern four-fifths of the country, while Herzegovina occupies the remaining territory in the south. Most of the terrain consists of the Dinarides Mountains, a southern offshoot of the Alps. The western and southern areas have a Mediterranean climate, whereas the higher elevations experience cool summers and severe winters. Natural resources include coal, iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, nickel, clay, salt, sand, forests, and hydropower.The population of Bosnia-Herzegovina breaks down into three ethnic groups—the Bosniaks, the Serbs, and the Croats. The Bosniaks make up of 48 percent of the population and are located in the central regions and in the northwest. The Serbs live primarily in the north and east and constitute 37 percent of people. Representing more than 14 percent of the country’s inhabitants, the Croats reside in the southwest and in individual communities throughout the central provinces. Bosnian, Croatian, and Serbian are also the country’s official languages. |
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| The Turks conquered the Bosnian region in 1463, leading to 415 years of rule by the Ottoman Empire. Several rebellions and conflicts against the Empire spread rapidly in 1878, forcing the Ottomans to cede control of Bosnia to Austria-Hungary through the Treaty of Berlin. Political tensions between Austria-Hungary and the Kingdom of Serbia in the early 20th century culminated in the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, in June 1914. This would lead to the outbreak of World War I a month later. Following World War II in 1945, Bosnia-Herzegovina became one of the six republics of the newly established communist Yugoslavia. With growing economic dissatisfaction and the fall of the Iron Curtain in the late 1980s, the Yugoslavian government divided, resulting in the independence of Bosnia- Herzegovina in December 1991. Peace was short-lived, however. The Serbian-Yugoslav army laid siege to Sarajevo, beginning ruthless ethnic cleansing campaigns, which involved the expulsion or massacre of thousands of Muslims. The war waged from 1992 until 1995, when peace talks brought a halt to the fighting. An estimated 100,000 people died during the conflict—half of whom were civilians—and nearly 2 million people were displaced. The Bosnian conflict left behind as many as 1 million landmines, which claimed more than 15,000 lives from 1996 to 2006. Mine clearance has been underway since the conflict ended in 1995, but experts state that it will be decades before the country has been fully cleared. A strong de-mining capacity exists but is not being completely utilized due to a lack of funding. There are approximately 12,000 known landmines that still need to be cleared. Industry has slowed due to the constant danger—farmers, lumberjacks, and construction workers often fall victim to unexploded landmines. Tourism has also fallen off. In addition, landmines have kept the more than 130,000 refugees and internally displaced people from returning to their homes. The ethnic tensions between Bosniaks and Serbs, which served as the catalyst for the conflict in the 1990s, did not end after the peace agreement. Harassment and ethnic discrimination against minorities continues throughout Bosnia-Herzegovina, affecting not only adults, but also children. Many educational facilities operate as “two schools under one roof,” in which children of different backgrounds attend separate classes and have no contact with students outside of their own ethnic group. Discrimination also remains a problem for children of Roma heritage. Less than 35 percent of Roma children attend school regularly—mostly due to extremely poor living conditions and lack of proper clothing, but also because of verbal harassment from other students and the school system’s unwillingness to teach their language. Back to top World Vision's history in Bosnia-HerzegovinaWorld Vision offered aid to the first Protestant seminary in the former Yugoslavia in March 1976. Two years later, grants were provided to reconstruct the Methodist Church in Skopje, which was destroyed by a massive earthquake. Three pastors conferences were conducted in 1977, 1986, and 1988, gathering together evangelical leaders from the regions of Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, and Bosnia.Following a brief civil war in the spring of 1991, the nation of Bosnia-Herzegovina emerged from the break-up of Yugoslavia. In 1994, World Vision opened the Medical Women’s Health Center, which focused on health, education, and economic development of women and children throughout the new country. In 1995, the Bosnia Winterization Project opened in an attempt to reduce the physical suffering of displaced and war-affected individuals, caused by the lack of protection from the winter. World Vision offered a monthly provision of coal and firewood to meet the heating needs of 45 shelters with more than 15,800 displaced persons. In the Grcanica Province, jackets, boots, sweaters, and socks were provided to 4,000 people in six shelters. From the late 1990s to the early 21st century, World Vision has focused on improving education, helping children cope with war-related, post-traumatic stress, and providing parents of disabled children with encouragement and community resources. Other examples of programs during this time include:
World Vision Bosnia-Herzegovina todayWorld Vision is committed to partnering with the people of Bosnia-Herzegovina to enhance their lives today and to help enact sustainable solutions for the future of their communities, families, and children. Although World Vision United States does not currently fund any sponsorship programs, there are 4,650 children sponsored by donors in another country. Several times this number of children and other family members benefit from World Vision activities. In addition, World Vision operates several development projects throughout the country. A highlight of these efforts includes the following:
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