The Bosnian branch of Women for Women International (WfWI) is the first one and the stepping stone of the larger organization. On June 12, 1993, with only 30 women, WfWI started because of war-time rape camps in BiH. Now the organization serves 53,000 women annually (including microcredit) and has served 207,000 women directly while mobilizing 250,000 women in 101 countries. This half a million is comprised of both people who donate and the ones who need help. All of these women are asking for justice.

Zene za Zene has sister offices in Afghanistan, Congo, Iraq, Kosovo, Nigeria, Rwanda, and Sudan; all branches zealously follow the mission of WfWI. What distinguishes WfWI is that the organization stresses the holistic approach needed to help struggling women. Microcredit is far from the only solution to the difficulties of every woman in the world. In addition to financing entrepreneurs, WfWI educates women about their rights and connects them to the public and private sectors to give them an opportunity to gain politically important roles. Through organic farming programs and job placements, WfWI addresses the non-entrepreneurial women who need assistance. In job placements for their program participants, WfWI defends the need for rights awareness, fair wages, and fair labor practices. “Placing women in jobs is not unique, but placing women who know their rights and can mobilize is,” says Zainab. Through the programs of WfWI, participants acquire skills, create friendships, raise their self-confidence, and familiarize themselves with their rights. The combination of financial support, a community, and access to knowledge and resources brings a lasting change in these women’s lives.

If you feel inspired to support the mission of Women for Women International, please visitwww.womenforwomen.org. In 2009, due to the economic changes in the world, donations have dropped by 10% and WfWI has had to cut $3 million of spending and 17% of their staff. Even when sponsors ‘drop out,’ the organization cannot suddenly stop financing the women in need. Now is the most important time to donate for this cause and make sure that no branches have to be closed, so that Women for Women International can keep uplifting as women all over the world.

If donating is not a good alternative to microcredit for you, you could lend to borrowers of the MFI Zene za Zene. Kiva.org partners with microcredit institutions that have a strong social mission and allows you to give a hand to entrepreneurs all over the world. The 90% repayment rate should show you how safe it is to invest in Kiva borrowers.

This post has been written by Velizara Passajova, a Kiva Fellow working for 4 weeks at her second placement in Armenia (withNor Horizon). Check out currently fundraising loans in Eastern Europe and join Kiva Lending Team – Friends of Women for Women International or Armenia.

Surprisingly quickly I got used to life in the quiet Gracanica, BiH as well as the days at the office of Zene za Zene (ZzZ), the Bosnian partner of Women for Women International. The office is a buzzing space especially towards the end of the week, and I keep being amazed at how organized my colleagues are. We regularly have breakfast and coffee in the office while still keeping high work ethic expectations. Spending time with coworkers, even if only for 15 fun minutes, is such a necessary and useful break; still, it never drags too long and people go back to work smiling, seemingly “recharged.” Taking care of each other is an important aspect of work at the office and a small example is that every branch in the ZzZ Tuzla Canton offices collects a small amount of money to give to employees who have a birthday or a baby. All colleagues celebrate together and everyone is not simply invited, but rather expected to attend.

Some Wonderful Zene za Zene Employees, Kiva Coordinator on the Right

The changes in the economy and the hardship microcredit foundations are facing right now have brought about a strategic change for ZzZ. Problems are to be expected here in Bosnia and Herzegovina now that the economic crisis is more noticeably affecting Eastern Europe. All of the Zene ze Zene  borrowers whom I have spoken with have shared that the macro economic situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina is providing obstacles for their businesses. ZzZ is experiencing hard times too and they are planning to focus on developing the International side of their organization. As a partner Women for Women (International), which has branches in Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, Kosovo, Nigeria, Rwanda, and Sudan, Zene za Zene is proud of the work they do for women survivors of war and domestic violence.

Some of the success statistics for Zene za Zene (Bosnia & Herzegovina) include:

* An astounding 22,838 women have been helped so far

* We have launched women’s human rights and leadership training programs

* Expanded to reach women in 60 communities

* 88% of women say their self confidence is greater

* 96% report their intentions to use the vocational skill learned during the program

* 66% report developing friendships and support networks

* 55% learned about their rights

The stories are amazing and despite being heart-breaking they are also filled with hope. The foundation has given so much to each woman involved in terms of knowledge, friendships, a community, empowerment, and self-confidence. The last part amazes me because in my work as a leader in high-school and college (as well as in my personal life) I have found it terribly hard to raise people’s self confidence. Through Women for Women, many victims have overcome and judging by the work I have witnessed at Zene za Zene, I do not doubt that this success stories are possible. On July 15, 2009, Zainab Salbi—founder of Women for Women International—visited the office in Sarajevo and spoke about the motivations, goals, and hardships that the organization is facing. You can read more about her talk at my personal blog.

Women for Women (Bosnia) is just one example of the amazing organizations that Kiva Microfunds partners with. I encourage you as Kiva lenders to realize that through the auditing process supplemented by formal Borrower Verification, risk management by Kiva staff, and the selection of borrowers by MFIs, your money is a safe investment in the lives of entrepreneurs throughout the world.  Although I have seen some of the obstacles of microfinance, I am encouraged by ZzZ’s determination to continue succeeding.  Despite the problematic situations, ZzZ is outstanding in terms of its work with Kiva, and the Kiva borrowers I have met are all hardworking and earnest women. I hope that my Kiva Fellowship will help ZzZ (International) gain a bigger presence on Kiva.org and that they will post more loans in the future. You could show your support by joining the Lending Team “Friends of Women for Women International”!

This post was written by Velizara Passajova, a Kiva Fellow [Class 8] who has finished her first placement in Bosnia and Herzegovina and will soon head to Armenia to help Nor Horizon in their initial steps towards working with Kiva.

Tuesday, July 7 was an amazing day for me because Nela—the Kiva Coordinator of Zene za Zene (ZzZ)–and I traveled far from Gracanica, Bosnia and Herzegovina to meet the last of the 10 entrepreneurs for completing the process of Borrower Verification. I enjoy traveling outside of the small town and especially enjoy meeting all the women who have Kiva loans through ZzZ. Their stories are amazing and I am so glad that I have had a chance to hear them. One in particular was very touching for me because my presence was what brought about the conversation. It turned out that Fatima was born in Skopje, Macedonia, which borders my home-country Bulgaria…and so it went:

Fatima Manjic was born in 1959 in Skopje, Macedonia, but fell in love with a Bosnian man and moved to Kalesija, B&H 25 years ago. During two of the hardest years of the war, her family lived in Croatia and upon their return the family had to start a life from scratch–their house had been burnt to the ground. Not only did the war bring economic difficulties to Fatima, but for 7 years she was not able to go back to her birth-place and tragically both of her parents passed away during that time. She still has a brother and two sisters in Macedonia and she is sad that she rarely sees them. She does not have the means to go visit them because of her business and her two children. Her siblings-in-law died during the war and Fatima shares that living so far from close relatives is very hard. She has nobody here, only her own household.

Fatima’s husband has started working in Azerbaijan, but has not been paid in the past four months, which is worrisome. Currently, Fatima raises chickens and grows cucumbers, which she sells to a company that picks up the produce from her house every other day. She does not complain about working and would do any job to the best of her ability. Not being indebted too long is very important to Fatima and she is happy to have the Kiva credit, without which nothing could be done because of the low wages in Bosnia & Herzegovina. Fatima is thankful and optimistically claims to have all that she needs. She hopes for the best.

I feel recharged and full of energy and optimism. Seeing the hard work that women like Fatima are able to do despite the loneliness and obstacles reminds me of my own struggles as an International College student in the United States. I think I understand Mrs. Manjic on more levels than even I can comprehend.

Fatima in her Well-Kept Cucumber Field

Sve naibolje!

This post has been written by Velizara Passajova, a Kiva Fellow working for 4 weeks in Bosnia and Herzegovina for Zene za Zene International. Check out currently fundraising loans in Eastern Europe and join Kiva Lending Team – Friends of Women for Women International.

By Velizara Passajova, KF8 Bosnia, Armenia

Hello, my name is Velizara and I am from Sofia, Bulgaria. I am currently enjoying KIVA Fellows Training in San Francisco. After I finish my junior spring at Dartmouth College, I will head to Sarajevo, Bosnia to work with “Zene za Zene International” from June-July 2009. In August-September 2009, I will be in Yerevan, Armenia. My job is to help establish KIVA and open up additional oportunities for lending to entrepreneurs in Eastern Europe.

KIVA is so exciting! Please, join our cause!

To see my blog, please go to    http://vialittlepassion.wordpress.com/&_tpg=fb

To learn more about “Zene za Zene International” (Bosnia), please go to    http://www.kiva.org/about/aboutPartner?id=101&_tpg=fb

In honor of the brilliant Tanzanian posts: http://fellowsblog.kiva.org/2008/10/10/you-know-you%E2%80%99re-in-tanzania-when%E2%80%A6vol-iii/

You know you’re in Bosnia when…

1. Any healthy foods must always be accompanied by sausage.

2. Your coworkers refer to annoying things as “liver” because “they cause the liver to feel pain.”

3. People mix their wine with coca cola.

4. The most popular musicians are over the age of 40, and are usually accompanied by accordions.

5. Pizzas are baked without tomato sauce, but you are welcome to squirt ketchup over the cheese, if you like.

6. Men wear identical black berets.

7. Graphic pornography is sold at convenience stands, next to the candy bars and gum.

8. You feel physical pain when you walk outside in the winter, as your brain contracts from the cold.

9. Cocktails cost $1.

10. US lotteries use 6 numbers. Bosnian lotteries use 19.

Also, here is a borrower update that I recently prepared on Daliborka and Nevenka Javanovic.

In 2004, the International Criminal Tribunal ruled unanimously that the Srebrenica massacre in Bosnia in 1995 was genocide.

I visited Srebrenica last week. I put together a video with a little history, photographs, and an interview with a Kiva Borrower whose husband was killed in the war and whose life has never fully recovered. I hate to sound cliche, but the entire experience broke my heart.

I made a video to capture a borrower visit in Bosnia. Learn about sheep reproduction AND witness an attempted dog attack!  

I am living in the attic of a blue house, which I share with fish farmers in the Bosnian countryside.  I have a small kitchen (with a tea kettle and 6 espresso cups), a living room decorated with antique dolls, and a bedroom that smells like the suitcase of a grandparent. It is a musty and warm oasis. Behind the house are vegetable gardens and pools of fish and a guard dog (named Garo) who no longer pulls on his chain.  There is a dirt path that I can follow for hours, past sheep and cemeteries and forgotten homes.

"Brijesnica Mala" translates roughly to "Small Place of the Fog"

I arrived in Bosnia last Thursday, so my experience at Zene Za Zene (“ZzZ”) has been an introductory one. ZzZ was set up in 1993 to provide the female victims of the war with financial assistance and job skills training. A micro-credit program was set up at ZzZ in 1997, and the organization started raising money through Kiva just 9 months ago. The women at ZzZ wear leather jackets and have aggressively highlighted hair. They are smart and talkative, and gaze at me curiously as they smoke their cigarettes. I have a hard time explaining that I am here on a volunteer mission to help capture the stories of their borrowers. I still have not met any borrowers, but I have been promised several trips into the field later this week.

These older ladies seem to run the show.

The Bosnian people are kind and insist that I eat. Constantly. At all times, I am either eating ‘burek’ (a meat pastry so greasy that its grease absorbs through my fingertips even before it reaches my lips) or sipping espressos, whose loose coffee grains stain my teeth black. I think I’m going to be happy here. Happy and fat.

Even when Sarajevo was under siege, people still came to this square to share their bread with the pigeons.

I spent the weekend with a girl my age, Emira. After hours of conversation about boys and school and our shared crush on Obama, I thought that I could ask her about the war. Wrong. She was 6 when the war began, and she says that she remembers everything. She changed the subject quickly. “I can’t let myself think about it. We live side-by-side with the Serbs today. I don’t want to think about how my neighbors tried to kill my family.” I stopped with my questions, and offered to buy her ice cream. I guess I am already learning the Bosnian way: when in doubt, offer food.

The Sarajevo Roses are concrete scars from mortar shell explosions during the war that were later filled with red resin. Each Sarajevo Rose shows a spot in which a person was killed. I found this one in front of a coffee shop.

I shall write more soon! Thanks for reading.

My name is Milena Arciszewski and I will be serving as a Kiva Fellow for a full year in Bosnia, Kenya and possibly Tanzania and Cambodia.  My first placement is in Zene za Zene in Sarajevo, which targets women affected by the genocide of the 1990s.

I have to say… I am so excited to be doing this!  For two years, I have worked in a cubicle coated with pictures of giraffes and elephants, daydreaming of escaping the office to pursue a career in international development.  The Kiva Fellowship feels like my golden ticket.

Training has been awesome. We eat curry pizza. Shoes are optional in the office. I am learning so so much. It is the first training session I have attended where “projectile vomiting” seems to be a part of the job description.

Hopefully by mid-October I will be blogging about the amazing ladies In Sarajevo! I will try to capture the small details.. the smell of the soup cooking in their kitchens; the dynamic between the family dog and cat. More soon!

There is a lot of talk here and elsewhere as to whether or not microfinance (or any kind of aid for that matter) works.  Is what anyone says the truth or just perceptions and opinions?   It would be nice to have a definite answer, but it always seems a little more complicated than that. 

In my past experience working with volunteers and in nonprofits, I noticed how this lack of certainty over results can trigger cynicism pretty quickly.  Most people in this line of work want to prove that what they do leads to something good happening, and they also want to feel good all the time about what they do. It’s probably just natural, but it’s also not possible, at least not all the time. The need for instant gratification can be a hard thing to escape, and can lead many people to become bitter, quit, or just stop trying very hard. 

I wanted to share this story of Safija, not a microcredit client but a woman who participated in Žene za Žene’s job skills training program, in part because it’s one that many here would not have heard otherwise.  Sometimes you never know what your time, donation, or gesture will mean to someone else.  It’s great that results can be shown on places like Kiva, but there will always be lots of stories we don’t see.  We may just have to assume that good things are more likely to happen when we try to do something rather than nothing, whether we know the final outcome or not.

There are people in the world who need access to money and an opportunity to get somewhere. Some of their stories end happily, but some don’t.  We can try to help each other out, or not.  We can be hard on ourselves, but keep trying to do better.  What else is there to do?

Safija’s Story

Safija is a 56 year old woman, originally from the town Srebrenica.  Srebrenica was the site of the largest genocide of the war in Bosnia, where in one day over 8,000 Muslim men and boys, including Safija’s two sons, were murdered by Serbian forces.  After the war Safija returned home only to find her house destroyed.  She felt haunted by memories of her sons, who she felt she could see and hear everywhere she went, playing football, asking her to make them their favorite sandwich.

Life for Safija was intolerable for those first years in Srebrenica. She was planning on leaving town when she found out about the training & educational programs at Women for Women International.  Joining the program gave Safija a chance to connect to other women in a way she had not been able to in years.  Since the war many communities in Bosnia remain strictly divided on ethnic lines, and this is especially true of Srebrenica. During the training program Safija met many Bosnian Serb women from her town, who she thought she would never be able to speak with.  But after hearing their stories she learned that they are women and mothers, just like her, who were as powerless to stop the fighting as she was.

Between her meetings with the Žene za Žene program and her new business ventures, Safija’s days were suddenly filled with activity.  Through her sponsor she was given financial support to learn a new trade, and she decided to focus on breeding poultry and turned this into a profitable business.  She also now makes marmalade to sell to the kids in her village. 

Safija was also grateful to receive a donated cow, not just because it helps with her income, but because it gives her something to come home to.  It makes her happy, she says, to have this cow, as she feels that she has someone who she can care for and talk to again, just like a child.  Safija admits she still has bad days, but she has learned that while she may still suffer from all that she lost, she is not alone anymore.  She knows now that there is always a way to find the will to go on.

To lend to a Bosnian women, click here (NOTE: more businesses to be posted daily.  Check back!)

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Since there is a lot of Bosnia in the news these days, here is a frontline piece done that gives a pretty thorough background on Karadzic & the conflict itself.  For those who want to learn more see below.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/karadzic/

The smell of a farm is one thing that is familiar to me, but not much else is.  It’s amazing how removed you can be from a process that is so central to life, but it’s true.  Feel like I should take some kind of crash course in farming, something that would qualify me to report on the majority of the businesses here.  But I’m not qualified and that’s that.  This is the amateur’s version of the life of Kiva clients in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Farming is not a business, it’s at least 10 businesses wrapped into one.  These women manage everything, from the planting of seeds to the final selling at the market. What they don’t sell they use to feed their families and keep their animals alive. They share barns & supplies with their neighbors, trade food, and keep each other afloat.  There is a lot of talk about sustainable living these days, but the only time I have witnessed it is here in Bosnia.

It’s tempting to glamorize the life of a farmer, but since it’s anything but I should stop that right here. 14 hour days are the norm. The weather can be unkind, and there go your crops.  A cow dies, your flock of sheep are wiped out by disease, and there goes all your income.  It’s a job in the end, like any other, but a lot less forgiving. I don’t know how they cope with that ongoing disappointment, with the fickle nature of fate.  I wonder if they get any kind of joy out of their work, like many city dwellers imagine they would.  But these women have a lot to deal with. There is not a lot of time for all these questions.

It is awkward to be the outsider here, this strange intermediary between the lender and the borrower, and my awareness of this gives me pause whenever I meet with clients and try to explain what I’m doing here.  Many get a kick out of seeing their business profile, but I wonder what they really think about all that goes on behind this. What continues to amaze me most about Kiva is what it has created—an amazingly dedicated lending community, a force of nature itself. I want to tell clients that there are many people so interested in hearing everything they have to say. That they send their hopes & wishes to them, via comments on a website.  It’s hard to explain this phenomenon at all, even in English.   

I feel lucky to be in this strange & wonderful position, to be here at all, to be able to meet these clients.  But the distance between any two people can be small yet great at the same time.  There’s a lot I wish to know about these women, but not a lot I can know.  I just wish they could all just speak to you for themselves, and tell you what they really thought.

 Here at least is what I think.  The women I meet are strong and they are fighters. They find new ways to make the most out of their land every day.  They have better business sense & work ethic than you can imagine. They take care of their family, and they look out for each other. They are kind & gracious despite all the bad luck they’ve had. And they all deserve better luck than they have had. Though I may not be doing a good job in communicating anything here, I hope they know that they have a lot of people on their side, and that the world has not forgotten them.

To fund a new business from Zene za Zene, click here (if these run out more will be posted soon!)

Zehra, Kiva Client

Sadika, Kiva Client, with her family

Vesna, Kiva Client, with her daughter

Emira, Kiva Client, with her husband

 

Redžiba and Namka, Kiva Clients, also neighbors & distant cousins

When I told anyone I was going to Bosnia this summer, the basic reaction I got was confusion.  Everyone was supportive & excited, but definitely surprised.  I was pretty surprised too.  When you sign up for experiences like this, you never know where you will end up.  In this case I’ve had the good fortune of ending up at Women for Women International, and wanted to take time to shed light on the both the organization & the people who do pretty amazing work here & around the world.

The war in Bosnia and Herzegovina actually led directly to the inception of Women for Women International, after the founders came here in the early 90s to volunteer with the aid process.  While they quickly realized that women would be the most marginalized group in post-war Bosnia, no grass roots efforts were in place to help them recover.  In 1993 Women for Women International officially launched, and has since expanded to bring direct aid to over 153,000 women survivors in warn torn countries around the world, serving today in Iraq, Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, just to name a few.

Zene za Zene is one of two sites (along with Women for Women Afghanistan) to focus on microcredit services, along with the educational & job skills training programs they run to prepare disadvantaged women for the workforce.  Around 60% of their clients on Kiva work in agriculture & raise livestock in the country’s small villages—in a stagnant economy it’s the only option many people have.  Poverty is an issue that affects women of all ages & backgrounds.  Even those who own land can have pretty meager incomes, and most lack real access to capital except through microfinance.  In a little over a decade, Zene za Zene has lent over $32 million to women entrepreneurs throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina.

In my time here I work mainly with our Kiva Coordinator, who collects information from credit officers and keeps up with posting & journaling requirements.  Credit officers spend most of their time finding & interviewing new borrowers, as well as visiting current clients to ensure their success. In these first 6 months of 2008, Zene za Zene has around 4,900 active clients; that number is likely to double by year’s end. As simple as it is to lend on Kiva, the mechanisms to ensure due diligence, social impact, and sustainability keep many people here very busy. 

It’s funny how when you travel, there is so much anxiety about everything that will be different, you can be put at ease by the smallest things. I was immediately comforted by the familiarity of working in office again, the regular schedule, the abundance of snacks and coffee offered at all times. Working here has kept me from getting too lost—in more ways than one.   It’s just reassuring to be around some of the millions of people in the world today who work diligently and patiently to help others help themselves. And it’s good to know you can find such things in places you’d never knew you’d be.

I wanted to share something about Sarajevo itself, but to keep from making this too long, I have included some pictures below of the old town near where I live, and will hopefully have more to go around in some later updates.  Cheers…

To see all currently fundraising loans from Zene za Zene International on Kiva.org, please click here.

When I set out to write this, I thought it would be important to give some background on Bosnia and Herzegovina in this first blog.  As I tried to think of intros to sum up the situation in Bosnia, no quote or cliché seemed to fit.  And maybe I am not articulate enough (probably) or wise enough (definitely) to make sense of it.  So instead of pretending to understand what I clearly don’t, I’ll just write what I’ve learned so far.

Most of the history I read to prepare for the trip focused on the ethnic cleansing the country endured in the 1990s.  After the break up of Yugoslavia, Serbian President Slobodan Milošević instigated the war, using nationalist sentiments to mobilize his people to wipeout Bosnia’s Muslim population.  In the end 200,000 Bosnians were killed and 2 million fled their homes. In concentration camps thousands of women were raped, and innocent civilians tortured.  The terror & brutality of the genocide lasted 3 years.

With all industry and infrastructure in shambles, Bosnia literally had to start from scratch to rebuild, and still has a long way to go. The unemployment rate is estimated between 30-45%, poverty is severe especially in rural areas, and it holds one of the highest rates of income inequality in the world.  Despite this Bosnia (along with most of Eastern Europe) is rarely considered a problem area anymore, and international aid to the country slowed down considerably by 1999. Bosnia has been fending for itself ever since.

Yet the country today is a peaceful place, and Bosnians have certainly proved their resilience. Organizations like Zene za Zene International (where I am working this summer), have helped many regain their livelihoods over the last decade, and microfinance has been key in helping thousands achieve financial stability.  If Bosnia continues to heal and move forward, it can provide hope of recovery to struggling war torn countries around the world.

Today Sarajevo is alive & buzzing, and Bosnians are notably friendly and hospitable.  I feel inspired by their strength, and grateful for whatever makes that perseverance possible.  But these feelings drain away as I wonder how much the past still haunts those who live here. Bosnians are proof that you can get over the absolute worst that can happen.  But this still doesn’t justify or explain why the absolute worst happens, and why innocent people have to suffer the lasting consequences of something they didn’t create.

After I arrived I hoped to say something to reconcile the horrors of the past I read so much about.  It’s difficult to do when for me Bosnia  generates feelings of despair & hope almost simultaneously, as evidence of all that can go wrong in this world and all that can be overcome.  I guess being confused & overwhelmed is to be expected especially in the first week, and I don’t need to explain it all right now.  I still have many people to meet, places to go, and much to learn.  With luck I will be able to one day explain some of the many things I don’t understand.