Sirocad Bosne

Why should Bosnian orphans ride ponies ? And why should we support it ?

To answer these questions, first let me remind you of the activities of Orphelins de Bosnie asbl, an independent, non-profit association well known in Luxembourg. Orphelins de Bosnie (OdB) was founded by a now retired EIB staff member, Jean Claude Carreau, after his son was killed by a mortar shell shot at the humanitarian convoy he was heading in July 1995, whilst serving as a UN peacekeeping officer in Sarajevo.
 Since then, OdB has been involved in a number of activities to support orphaned children affected by the events in Bosnia, and, more generally, to promote a new understanding between the peoples of Bosnia.

Drawing on the support from EIB as well as other donors, including a number of EIB staff members, OdB has so far concentrated on two main types of action:
A scholarship programme: some 30 orphan students in Sarajevo receive financial support for their studies (elementary, secondary or university level). This

programme operates in close cooperation with a local association ("Obrazovanje gradi BiH") which aims at reconstructing Bosnia through a much-needed, modern and tolerant education system. Individuals in Luxembourg and France (including 13 EIB staff members) donate between 1000 and 6000 LUF/month and in this way support one or several students, with whom they gradually establish a personal relationship. The programme could be expanded, as the list of candidates is still very long, and OdB would therefore like to set up more twinning arrangements!

A vacation programme: young orphans from Bosnia spend several summer weeks a year in Luxembourg, where they are hosted by local families (some of whom again are EIB families, cf. EIB-Journal September 1997). Needless to say that the children greatly enjoy these vacations in a new and trouble-free environment. But it is also clear that such stays are fairly costly. Also, it may be more efficient to have the children spend more of their holidays outside of Sarajevo, rather than flying them to Luxembourg for a few weeks in summer, and leaving them confined to much more rudimentary conditions for the rest of the year.
This is where the project "Therapeutic and Leisure Centre Kakrinje" comes in. Two ingredients were vital for the emergence of the idea: A suitable piece of land, not too far away from Sarajevo and free from land mines (vital, and not easy to find!), had to be identified. Furthermore, the perhaps surprising idea of combining a holiday/leisure centre with pony-riding was born last summer, when OdB arranged for the Bosnian orphans to spend some days at a French pony farm. It became evident then that such activity was not only a lot of fun for them, but also of valuable pedagogic and therapeutic value. Last but not least, blending equestrian activities into a holiday centre should also attract paying children, leading to a financially self-sustaining centre, in the medium term.But things have not yet advanced that far, even though they are clearly moving into the right direction:
Two adjacent plots of land have been identified in Kakrinje, 20 km from Sarajevo in a rural area, with a total surface of almost 5 hectares. Two houses exist; they need to be restored and enlarged, but they offer a sound base on which to start and can house some 20 children. Another house is in ruins, but could be rebuilt. The landowner is willing to sell and an agreement may still be reached before the summer.
Technical cooperation has been ensured through the French pony farm where the children spent some time last summer. However, the Kakrinje centre would not be limited to horseback riding, and would be complemented by many other sports, including mountain-biking, snow-sliding with pony-drawn sledges, as well as "green", snow and peace classes.

A Bosnian national has been selected as director for the center; he is a young veterinary doctor, who underwent the necessary training in France - and is an ex-beneficiary of the scholarship programmed mentioned above.

Of course, there are still more problems than solutions, but the balance is changing. A dedicated Bosnian foundation needs to be created as an offspring of OdB and the related legal and fiscal aspects must be studied. Total expenditure is estimated to be of the order of 410 000 € (Euro), most of which is for land acquisition (close to 5 hectares) and alterations to the buildings. Local counterparts already ensure almost half of the finance, mostly directly or indirectly through OdB as well as some contributions. Another 240 000 € are still needed from generous national or international institutions, as well as from individual donors (yes, they do exist, if you come up with a good project!). Such donations can be "in kind" as well, since project implementation requires a lot of equipment or building materials, ranging from window frames to kitchen or heating equipment all the way down to - ponies.

Moral, and to some extent, material support by local institutions and charitable associations is very strong and well documented. The charitable nature of the project should also induce the Bosnian authorities to grant a tax exemption on the purchase of the land, which would save some 25 000 €.

An interesting perspective is cooperation with the already existing SOS Kinderdorf in Sarajevo, which could use the Center for leisure and holidays for a number of its own villages in Central and Eastern Europe, and in a few years could furthermore take over its management. The existing orphans home "Dom Bjelave", located in the inner city of Sarajevo and in need of land for leisure and sports activities would likewise be associated. In addition, there is moral and logistical support from the existing SFOR peace troops, as well as from related diplomatic missions.

Potentially, the center could also become an international meeting point; furthermore it could cater for some of the many recently arrived Kosovo refugees in Bosnia which, depending on further developments, may have to stay for some more time. One refugee camp indeed is very close to the Kakrinje site. Last but not least, the project would create between 5 and 7 permanent jobs in a region suffering from high unemployment.
Works should ideally start this year, and the center could start operating as early as in July 2000. A small working group within OdB follows the project closely, and additional technical support is provided on site by a Strasbourg-based NGO, as well as by local SFOR troops.
What a great achievement it would be if next year, 5 years after the war and the killing, Kakrinje could become the symbol of a new era, with a better understanding between the peoples in Bosnia and beyond! The most recent events forcefully underline the dire need for such positive steps in order to bring back peace and cooperation to a region which so much needs it.

Note: the legal structure in Sarajevo for the completion of the Kakrinje project will probably consist of a local foundation "Capitaine Carreau" to raise funds and set up the Center in conjunction with Orphelins de Bosnie-Luxembourg, and a federation of 4-5 local associations to provide financial and other means to run the Center, to the benefit of orphans and war-stricken children.