Projects

Raspberries instead of Mines

As a legacy of the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, approximately one million mines were left buried across the whole country. Since the end of the war 1’735 people have been injured or killed by mines. Furthermore, thousands of square kilometres of the surface area are still mined and therefor prevent the access to land for agriculture, while more than 500’000 people still face mine threat nowadays.

The example of Edina from Donji Vakuf shows, what kind of impact a successful mine clearance, implemented by the organisation World Without Mines, can have on daily life.

The community of Donji Vakuf has 14’000 inhabitants and is located in the heart of Bosnia. Due to its strategic position next to the canyon of Vrbas, during the war the shifting frontlines ran through the hills and villages surrounding the town. The warring parties laid large amounts of landmines, with the purpose to secure their front lines and trenches. In consequence, almost all 25’000 inhabitants at that time were forced to leave their homes.

Like Edina. She was nine years old, when the war started, and fled with her mother and little sister to Switzerland, where her father already was awaiting them. She completed primary school and was a good student, but since the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina had ended, she was forced to return to her home country.

This was not an easy situation for a teenager. During her arrival in Switzerland, Edina and her family were well received. She soon found new friends and her teachers at school supported her. Back in Bosnia, she felt like a stranger. As the only returnee in her class, she did not find understanding. Today she says that it was a difficult time for her.

But the cheerful young lady went her own way, finished school and met her husband, with whom she started a family.

Meanwhile, Edina settled in very well in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The house of her parents-in-law is her new home. During the war, the house was damaged in grenade attacks, but after the war the house underwent a renovation. Edina and her husband turned two rooms into their private apartment.

  • Minsko polje u Bosni i Hercegovini
  • Uzgoj malina u Donjem Vakufu
  • Uzgoj malina u Donjem Vakufu
  • Fondacija svijet bez mina

It is a sunny day in 2015. Edina puts her rubber boots on, leaves the house and walks to her family’s field, where they now grow chokeberries and raspberries. This field was part of a former minefield.

Thanks to the generous funding by a Swiss Rotary Club, the foundation World Without Mines from Zurich started mine clearance in autumn 2014. The result showed how urgent the demining action actually was: 11 anti-personnel mines and 13 unexploded bombs were found and destroyed. 

While she is working on the field, Edina tells us how she could not access the field for several years, because it was too dangerous to get injured or killed by mines. After the field had been cleared and secured, the family organised a digger to prepare it immediately for cultivation.

“The business with raspberries is flourishing perfectly”, says Edina. “There are several cold storage houses located in this region that freeze berries immediately and prepare them for the international export.” The world market prices are currently very good and animate a lot of families to start with the raspberry production in order to increase their low income. This is specifically important since the official unemployment rate in Bosnia and Herzegovina reaches nowadays almost 50%.

We are both lucky to have a job and when we come home from work, we enjoy working on the berry fields and vegetable gardens.
Edina

The young family is highly motivated and very optimistic about their future. They are convinced that their commitment will pay off. “We work hard for our dream to live a happy life.”


World Without Mines 

World Without Mines is a foundation based in Switzerland, that has been active since 18 years and supports demining projects, provides risk education programmes for the affected population and informs and sensitises people in Switzerland in order to raise public's awareness and understanding about the disastrous impacts of mines and unexploded ordnances.

World Without Mines foundation has currently ongoing projects in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Laos and Zimbabwe. It's main focus lies on so-called "forgotten minefields", which are minefields that are still existing, even though the war has ended since many years. 

WoM has been active in Bosnia and Herzegovina since 2005, mostly in the region of Donji Vakuf. Today, 8% of Donji Vakuf's lands are still mined. It remains WwM's goal in Donji Vakuf to completely clear the community of mines. Demining projects in BiH are executed in cooperation with their local partner "Pazi Mine Vitez", a well respected local demining actor.

For further information about the organisation World Without Mines please visit their website: www.wom.ch or contact them by e-mail: info [at] wom.ch.
World Without Mines Donation account: IBAN CH80 0900 0000 8741 5116 3