Rebuilding schools, future in Bosnia and Herzegovina

“World Vision enabled me to start a new life,” says Osman Mujdza. In 1998, two years after the end of the four-year war that ravaged Bosnia and Herzegovina, killed more than 100,000 people, displaced two million more people and left the economy of the country in shambles, World Vision helped rebuild Osman’s home, giving him and his family a chance for a better future.

After the war, Osman became the principal of a primary school located on the green river bank in the small town of Maglaj, famous for its cultural and historical heritage. Life returned to normal.

Sixteen years later, Osman stands in front of his school in blue work attire and cap. He is worried, but tries to be optimistic. It’s hard to imagine that this two-story white building without windows and doors, surrounded by high piles of garbage, debris and mud echoed with children’s voices just a couple weeks earlier. What used to be considered beautiful location–next to the river bank-proved to be a disadvantage.

When record-breaking floods hit Maglaj in May, the school was the first building to be affected. The basement and first floor of both school buildings were completely flooded, with water rising up to two and a half meters. Water, however, wasn’t the only problem. “Large timbers that the flood carried hit the school, breaking the windows and façade,” explains Osman.

Osman and his colleagues have been working non-stop since the beginning of the floods to save as much as possible. Even the staff whose homes were flooded, all 22 of them, came to school to help clean it. “In the mornings, they would clean the school. In the afternoons, [they would clean] their homes,” he says, estimating  that school suffered around $1 million (USD) of damages.

Almost all the school’s equipment was destroyed. “This is where we had tools for technical education lessons,” says Osman as he shows a small classroom, now completely empty. Dark yellow lines on the walls are the only sign that there was dark chamber for photo development in another classroom. “We put so much love and effort into this school,” he says, pointing to artworks that hang above entrance doors of each classroom. “Each artwork represents the class that is held in that respective classroom. Teachers and students created them together,” he adds.

Osman worries that the school’s 722 regular students and 150 who attend music school will be able to start their classes in September. Due to the floods, this school year was already finished more than a month before it was scheduled to finish.

The floods that hit Bosnia and Herzegovina were the worst the country has seen in the past 120 years. For days, Maglaj and other towns in the northern part of the country were only accessible by boats and helicopters, and thousands of people were trapped in their houses. According to Government estimates, 1,800 structures were flooded in Maglaj alone. On a national level, these numbers are at least ten times higher, with state minister comparing the floods with the destruction wrought by the 92-95 war.With support from United Kingdom, World Vision will work in Maglaj to provide continuing humanitarian support by repairing vital water pumps and improving sanitation.

Lots of work is in front of Osman and his colleagues. “If we all work together, us, local government, international donors, and if we work hard every day, we can accomplish our goal of having children back to school in September,” he says.