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The MYF Bosnian Children’s Project (MYF-)

Background

is a small country in (part of the ). The population of approximately 4 million people is made up of three ethnic groups: Bosnians (Muslims), Croats and Serbs (both Christian). was part of the Muslim Ottoman Empire for over 400 years until 1878 and then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until World War I. After World War it became part of a new state called which in 1945 became a communist state. The communist government ruthlessly suppressed religion. gained its independence from the former communist state of in 1992 just before the Yugoslav wars (March 1992 to November 1995). 

During the Yugoslav War many atrocities occurred due to the genocide policy of the Serbian leadership towards the Bosnians. The worst of these atrocities was the massacre at Srebrenica in July 1995. When the Serbs captured Srebrenica more than 8,100 Muslim men and boys were brutally separated from their families and then systematically slaughtered during a period of two weeks- their bodies dumped in mass graves. 

The European Parliament has designated July 11th as a Day of Remembrance of the genocide of the Bosnian Muslims in Srebrenica. The MYF- sends a representative to the memorial service held in Srebrenica on this day every year. On this occasion, a janaaza is also held collectively for the burial of the bodies which have been recovered from the mass graves during the previous year.

The Bosnian Children’s Project

 The Bosnian Children’s Project () was started by the Muslim Youth Foundation in in Ramadhan 2000. Initially the main focus of the work was with children, many of whom were orphans, in the largest refugee camp near around .

The aim of the project is to cater for the educational, cultural & religious needs of some 500 Muslim children who are currently living in very difficult economic & social conditions in 17 refugee camps around the city of in North-Eastern Bosnia. The majority of families in these refugee camps are survivors of the massacre of Muslims that took place in & around the town of in in July 1995. 

Our project also caters for the children & families who are gradually returning to their pre-war homes in Srebrenica plus other local children in . These children & families are returning to an often hostile plus ethnically cleansed landscape. The children critically need support in adapting to a new life as a minority. The MYF- attempts to provide this support.

Bosnian Children’s Project () Activities

 The project sponsors the following activities for Bosnian children:

·         Classes: Islamic education classes, Information Technology classes, support in school work. 

·         Sports activities: football, basketball, volleyball, table tennis, swimming, martial arts classes.

·         Day trips

·         Ramadhan: Iftars & Islamic talks 

·         Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha parties with distribution of Eid presents. 

 Group visits from the are organised each year to see the work of the project in .

Partners 

In order to deliver these services the works in conjunction with two partner organisations in Bosnia, Selsebil and Prosvjetitelj (Enlightenment) who are both officially registered with the Bosnian Government via its official Islamic national organisation (Islamska Zajednice BiH).

Selsebil works with the children in the largest refugee camp near (North Eastern Bosnia) which has 150 children living there and has also developed work with local children in . Enlightenment works with the children of refugees who have returned to their pre-war homes in and around the town of .

The local government religious authority on behalf of the MYF monitors the work of the two charities.

News

The Bosnian Children’s Project () has, in liaison with the Selsebil charity recently employed a youth worker to expand the work with the refugee camps around . The project will now be working with seven of the seventeen refugee camps around .

The also recently organised a trip for 13 British Muslim youth to visit (July 3rd to 13th). The group had a busy itinerary visiting various places within including the capital , Mostar, Srebrenica and . The group observed the work of the  and also attended the Day of Commemoration at Srebrenica on the 11th of July (to remember those massacred at Srebrenica during the Yugoslav War). For more information on the Day of Commemoration please visit www.bbc.co.uk/news/10593799

For more information about the work of the Bosnian Children’s Project please contact The MYF- Project Co-ordinator at bcp@myf.org.uk or visit the section on our website www.myf.org.uk