SEPTEMBER 2018
“There have been many obstacles in my life. I worried about the cost of education— it was something my parents could never afford.” Danijel (pictured above) is a bright young man from Mostar, a city in Bosnia-Herzegovina that is still being rebuilt after the wreckage of the Bosnian war. It was the most heavily-bombed of any Bosnian city during the 1992-95 conflict. Bullet holes and war-damaged buildings can still be seen throughout the city, but even harder to mend is the psychological damage. Around 400,000 people in Bosnia-Herzegovina suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and it is estimated that 4,000 former soldiers have taken their own lives since the war ended in 1995. Danijel, 20, was raised amidst those bombed-out buildings in a family where disorder permeated every area of their lives, as well as the father’s PTSD and depression.
Danijel has a passion for science and mathematics, and his dream is to be a professor. But in BosniaHerzegovina, most families cannot afford university education for their children. Although the majority of higher education institutions are financed by the state, there are still many other costs — including tuition and exam fees — that make a university education beyond the reach of anyone but the wealthiest.
“It is imperative for me to look to the future, not the past … I am determined to change my future through education.” When Danijel enrolled at University, his entrance examination score put him among the top five most promising freshmen. In recognition of his achievement, his tuition fees were significantly lessened – but they remained a huge burden for his family. Fortunately, his family did not have to struggle alone to finance his education.
Mission Without Borders has supported Danijel's family since he was eight years old, helping them through the daily challenges caused by poverty and the father's PTSD. And now years later, MWB was able to support Danijel in his promising academic career.
Our scholarship project helps cover costs that would make pursuing higher education an impossibility to students from poverty. SOME STATISTICS FOR BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA •
Not just former fighters live with the psychological consequences of war, but a large part of the civilian population as well, including displaced persons, sexually abused men and women, and former camp detainees. 1
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A study in 2008 on children of veterans in Bosnia and Herzegovina found that the father’s PTSD may have “long-term and long lasting consequences on the child’s personality.” 2
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Lack of access to quality education poses a serious threat to equality of opportunity and outcome in the region [includes BosniaHerzegovina]. Persons with lower educational attainment are more often at risk of poverty or social exclusion, as are children of parents with lower educational attainment. 3
“I see those who have already graduated, leaving and going abroad, but that's not what I want to do,” said Danijel.
DANIJEL LEAVING HIS HOME FOR SCHOOL
“I am beyond grateful for the scholarship that you offered to me … I can see my dreams coming true.”
Your donation helps those in the greatest of need in Eastern Europe, through a variety of programs, as we work to help people out of poverty and into a self-sufficient future. Danijel is a shining example of a young person determined to rise above his past, and make the best of his future. With the help of Mission Without Borders, who recognized his family’s need, and his talents, we have been able to help both. Whether in Bosnia-Herzegovina or any of the 5 other countries where we are at work in Eastern Europe, family by family, individual by individual, we seek to offer love and support wherever most needed. We are so very grateful for your continued partnership, and if you are as passionate about education as we are, I know that you will want to donate to this important program. Would you consider making a donation of at least $100 this month? Your significant contribution will help many more achieve their dreams, and establish themselves in their own countries to be leaders and world shakers!
[Sources: 1 Balkan Insight, ‘Bosnia still living with the consequences of war’, April 6 2012; 2 NCBI, ‘Psychological Problems in Children of Veterans with PTSD in Bosnia and Herzegovina: CrossSectional Study’, August 2008; 3 Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, ‘Inequality in Southeast Europe’, 2018]
Sincerely, Bonnie Borowetz SPONSORSHIP COORDINATOR MISSION WITHOUT BORDERS CANADA
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