With the horrifying statistics proving that Bosnia is one of the worst land-mined countries in the world, in 2000 MIRACLES launched an appeal to build its own specialist prosthesis centre where landmine victims can receive the ongoing treatment they so desperately need.

The MIRACLES Centre is now a reality. We are starting to make limbs and working alongside other international and local agencies in order to bring about the best treatment possible for amputees and the best possible overall use of the new premises.

But to develop this major project into the centre of excellence for which it was built MIRACLES needs continuing funding.

The Miracles Centre for Prosthesis and Care – The Facts.
A report from James Burton, Project Director, Miracles Mission in BiH

One million landmines still unaccounted for……

The 92-95 war caused the loss of an estimated 250,000 lives, displaced nearly half of the pre war population of 4.4 million people and cost an estimated $100 billion in war damage.

The war turned Bosnia-Herzegovina from a medium income country to a poor one and it is estimated that over half of its current population are poor or border line poor and suffer serious shortage in all aspects of welfare.

The war left a legacy of landmines and 13 years on it is still one of the seven most land mined countries in the world. There have been an estimated 5,000 people damaged by these mines since the war – 1,660 since 1996 of which 328 have been children – 1 in 5 of every victim.

Given the level of widespread poverty and a health system that is fractured and underfunded many of these victims have gone without any kind of quality prosthetic care or psychological support. Children and young adults are the most vulnerable – the impact of a landmine explosion on their bodies and minds is devastating.

Children need their prosthetics altered or remade every six months to accommodate for growth. Without this regular support their prosthetic limbs are useless. However, the average cost of a new prosthetic is in the region of €1,500 and very few families have access to that kind of money.

The Miracles Centre

It was in response to the need in Bosnia-Herzegovina for a medical centre that could provide prosthetic and orthotics care for landmine victims that the Miracles Centre was conceived. In 2006 we set about finding a suitable place to build the Centre - land was found in Mostar (great road and rail links) and the design and construction phase commenced. The Centre was completed in August 2008 and we are now starting to make and fit limbs.

At the heart of the design is the concept of delivering an holistic support network for all landmine victims - from short term free accommodation for those having to travel long distances - to building a community centre that would bring local and international expertise through conferences, seminars and community based events.

It is our intention to encourage other specialists in complimentary care and counselling and so we included in the design additional offices and accommodation space specifically for this purpose.

We also recognized the importance of employing local citizens in the running of the centre and we are committed to sourcing all staff from Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Finally there is a shortage of qualified CPOs in Bosnia-Herzegovina - trained to a recognized international standard. This shortage of quality care combined with a health service desperately underfunded minimizes considerably the level of care and ongoing support landmine survivors currently receive. The Miracles Centre is dedicated to training a minimum of two CPOS to grade 2 level in our first two years.

The Miracles Centre core objectives are to offer patients a fully rounded approach to prosthetic and orthotic care irrespective of which region they come from or from what social-economic background they represent.

The Miracles Centre has been built for the citizens of Bosnia-Herzegovina and in every sense this is their facility. We aim to work closely and long-term with all ten Canton health authorities in Federation BiH as well as their counterparts in the regions of RS, Brcko District, the Ministry of Health in both entities and social services throughout the whole country.

Our ultimate goal is to deliver a level of care and commitment to every landmine survivor we treat that will enable them to become fully rehabilitated and integrated into their respective communities.

Our objectives:

• Provide prosthetic care for as many land mine victims as sustainable, across all regions of Bosnia-Herzegovina irrespective of a survivor’s location, religion or social/economical situation.
• In our first two years, aim to provide limbs for at least 160 landmine survivors.
• Target children in the first instance, who are the most vulnerable and need constant ongoing support that current local services cannot meet.
• Liaise closely and establish effective working relationships with all heath authorities across each Canton in order to work as a complimentary arm of the national health system.
• Develop effective relationships and partners with other landmine survivor groups and care organizations locally and internationally.
• Develop an overall holistic and best practice approach, which will ensure all landmine survivors receive the quality of care they deserve.
• Develop a community based rehabilitation centre that can offer much needed psychosocial community support.
• Train two local citizens as CPOs to internationally recognized qualifications.
• Fully staff the Centre with Bosnia-Herzegovina citizens providing much needed employment.

Get involved

The Miracles Centre needs your support.

We are a non profit charity that relies on generous individuals to support us. We believe every person can make a difference and need dedicated individuals, like you, who believe landmine victims deserve the very best care and support that they can be given.

Whatever the size of your donation every single penny will go towards treating and supporting landmine victims in Bosnia-Herzegovina. You can support us in many different ways:

Outright gift:
Gifts of cash support the immediate costs within the daily running of the centre and allow our CPOs to get on with the job of treating landmine victims. Charitable gifts of cash are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law. Talk to your employer about matching gifts.

Pledges:
Pledges to Miracles can be paid over a period of three years or longer. Pledges enable you to contribute a larger gift than may be possible in any one tax year.

Gifts of Stock and Securities
Contributing stock and securities to Miracles allows you to not only avoid capital gains taxes, but may also permit you to claim the full current market value as a charitable donation. Securities must qualify as long-term investments. You can also make donations to Miracles through bequests, life insurance, and gift annuities.

Click here to see Theo Ellert’s You-Tube Appeal for The MIRACLES’ Centre

Click here to see The MIRACLES Centre Appeal Leaflet