Mirsad attends the eighth grade. His school is in a municipality located some 70 kilometres from the capital Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). About 660 students from five nearby villages attend the school, manned by 32 teachers.

His school marks are average and his behaviour is good but Mirsad sits in class without uttering a sound, in stark contrast to his boisterous schoolmates.

World Vision became acquainted with Mirsad through the Children and Parents project (CAP) that was recently implemented at the eighth grade class in his school.

There is a pervasive attitude in the school that girls should not continue education after completing primary school

The school was selected by the project team upon the recommendation of the Ministry of Education, as there is a pervasive attitude in the school that girls should not continue education after completing primary school. The school is also in a remote location, cut off from the nearest town during the winter period.

The project focuses on children, education and, parent and teacher relations through the formation of Parent & Teacher Associations, with the aim to promote tolerance, cooperation and reconciliation amongst children in Bosnia’s ethnically divided school system.

Creative activities are designed to improve coping mechanisms for children who experience stress and trauma derived from living in a dysfunctional family, a difficult social or economic environment or from displacement.

CAP also focuses on children with special needs. The project equips teachers and families with the know-how and skills to care for and assist children with special needs to reach their full potential.

The project is implemented in four schools throughout the country over one school year, which is composed of two semesters. During the first semester, the team works with 80 children and four teachers, and in the second semester, they work with new children and teachers. The CAP team works with more than 640 students over the school year.

Guided by the World Vision Bosnia and Herzegovina (WV BiH) mission statement, the project aims to work in partnership with communities in their struggle to establish right relationships, to diminish material as well as spiritual poverty and to encourage society to embrace the disenfranchised.

Upon the recommendation of his schoolteacher, Mirsad joined the project in the second semester. As in regular lessons, Mirsad was extremely quiet during project activities, prompting the World Vision drama trainer, Drinic Sevimka, to ask Mirsad about his family life.

Mirsad explained: “My parents died five years ago and now I live with my grandparents. My 18-year-old brother Mustafa lives with my uncle’s family and even though he is not far away, we cannot see each other very often, as we don’t have money for a bus ticket. We also become preoccupied with regular life, studying and helping our relatives around the house.”

Our grandparents are very poor and barely have enough for themselves

Mirsad’s father was injured during the war and due to a lack of accessible medicine at that time he was not treated properly. He died in immense pain. Six months after the death of his father, Mirsad’s mother suffered a stroke. Physically and emotionally weak, his mother did not recover and she also passed away.

“The most painful thing was when my brother and I had to leave each other,” said Mirsad.

“I wish we could live together but it is impossible. My uncle cannot take us both because he does not have enough money and besides they have their own children to care for. Our grandparents are very poor and barely have enough for themselves,” he explained.

Mirsad and his grandparents had lived in a wooden shed until eighteen months ago when their pre-war house was reconstructed, with a modest donation from the municipality. Now they have a water, sewerage and electricity connection, but still only scrape by on the goodwill of their neighbours and friends.

Mirsad went on to tell the World Vision trainer, “When I don’t have bread I can hide it from my school mates, but I can’t hide my clothes.”

Drinic reacted immediately to Mirsad’s story, adding him to the list of socially vulnerable children in the school.

When I don’t have bread I can hide it from my school mates, but I can’t hide my clothes

Shortly after the World Vision CAP team gave Mirsad a parcel of Gifts-in-Kind items including clothes and shoes, donated by World Vision in the United States.

Mirsad tried to hide his emotions when he took out each piece of clothing, but tears flushed his face.

All he could say was, “Is this all just for me? I haven’t received any new clothes since my parents died and I sometimes get a few items of second hand clothing from my neighbours. My grandparents will be so happy. I am so happy. Thank you God, thank you all.”

The clothes and shoes are the right fit for Mirsad. Being comfortable around his peers is important to him, but knowing that he is not forgotten is the most comforting thought of all.

“I was very pleased to witness a transformation in how Mirsad interacted with his peers since being involved in the CAP activities. At first it seemed he didn’t care what was going on around him, but as the time went by he began to communicate and actively participate in the group work with other children from the class. Now it’s like he is a new child,” commented Mirsad’s schoolteacher.

“One day he told me that his vision for the future has changed. Now he wants to continue his education after finishing primary school. He wants to be a car mechanic,” the teacher added.

Now he wants to continue his education after finishing primary school

World Vision staff also wanted to make their own personal contribution to Mirsad and his family and by collecting money every month from their salary, staff were able to give a gift to Mirsad’s grandparents to buy food.

Although the CAP project officially closed in Mirsad’s school, World Vision staff met with the school principle and community leader to implore the community to come alongside the family and support them where possible. The school principle has since informed World Vision that various community members are embracing Mirsad and his family.

"As soon as my brother finishes secondary school in two years and finds a job, he promised that he will find a place for us and then we will be together again,” said Mirsad.

Photo: World Vision Bosnia and Herzegovina
*Names are changed to protect identity of children.