the miracles housing and education project
MIRACLES HOUSING AND EDUCATION CENTRE—ZENICA, BiH
Ul. Bollinger Street bb, PUTOVICI, PEREN HAN, 72000 ZENICA, BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA
‘Roma’ The Poorest of The Poor is a painting by Theo Ellert representing the Romany families now being re-housed by Miracles Mission in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
The Roma Community in Bosnia are the Poorest of the Poor with no homes, no status and no rights.
MIRACLES is now taking them out of the hovels which served as home and building them proper houses with their own workshops and allotments. There is also a MIRACLES’ staffed Community Centre and a nearby school where their children can be educated and the whole family can build a future worth living.
To date MIRACLES has relocated six families from the Roma Community in Zenica who had been living in make-shift shelters, slums on the river banks and disused factory buildings.
These families have 24 children between them, for most of whom this is their first opportunity to have an education.
Working alongside the Zenica Municipality and Social Services, MIRACLES has formed a local committee to ensure the welfare and future of each family long term.
In anticipation of expansion MIRACLES now owns the land and has laid the foundations for a further six homes to be constructed as soon as the funding is in place …
But there are hundreds more families still waiting and hoping that MIRACLES will find a way to help them all.
A word of thanks from Lord "Paddy" Ashdown.
"Thank you....Miracles.... for your help to much too forgotten Bosnia... and especially with the Roma who are the most down-trodden people in the Balkans."
A MIRACLES’ MIRACLE FOR ROMA CHILDREN
“…..Glowing with pride” was how Miracles’ Founder, Theo Ellert described herself when she and her husband, Robert Linley-Munro, visited the Miracles Roma Community in Zenica when in Bosnia for the British Ambassador’s Reception on 29th September.
“How simple it is,” she said, “that with just a little effort one can rescue such deserving people from a shunned existence of starvation and degradation, and integrate them into a healthy, happy, hardworking society with high hopes for the future.”
That is just what Miracles has done for the 24 Roma children and their carers now settled into their new life within the Miracles Roma Housing and Education Centre on the outskirts of Zenica.
Out of the eighteen children old enough to go to school, all of them reached their grades to the delight of Aida Saric, our Project Supervisor, who coaches them in the Community Centre in the evenings; three are now going on to High School, two of the older ones have found themselves jobs and one is waiting for a Course in Mechanics.
Their houses and gardens are immaculate; their chicken production project is booming and they now have turkeys, sheep and goats to keep them busy as well as their allotments and fruit trees. In their spare time the children play football and basketball with our translator and security officer, Andrej Plavsic, who also encourages them to speak a little English.
Just one year on and the Miracles Housing and Education Project has proved itself a success from every aspect. It is truly a tremendous achievement which deserves the highest praise and support.
photos:
Robert and Theo with Andrej, Aida and some of the children;
Aida and the children feeding the white turkeys;
Three school friends: Merejma, Mirjana and Aida
Football brothers Almir and Ismet with, below,
their Father Alija Suvalic with one of the rather fierce rams!
After the Bollinger’s visit in July, Judy’s letter outlines their thoughts on the project:
“Bill and I are passionate about open access to education. We believe the gift of education is a life-long treasure that benefits not only the recipient but all of society. When we learned that the Roma children in Bosnia were denied access to education because they were unable to provide the authorities with permanent addresses, we wanted to see if we could help. We worked with Miracles to provide housing for six Roma. In exchange for the housing, the families must keep all of their children in school.
When we visited the families one year later, we were deeply moved by what we saw. There was 100% participation in school attendance. The houses were in immaculate condition – in fact, they were cleaner than my own house in London. The children were confident, energetic and quick-witted. They were thriving in their new routine – school instead of street begging.
After spending time with the families, we saw that these parents had the same aspirations for their children as we have for ours: they want their children to pursue their dreams and to have a higher quality of life. Although many outsiders regard the Roma as street people who will never fit into mainstream life, we discovered that when they are treated with respect and given opportunities to learn, they respond with enthusiasm.
Bill and I wish that every outreach project was as successful as the Miracles housing project in Bosnia. This is a project that dramatically improves the economic position of previously marginalised people.”
Miracles is deeply grateful to the Bollingers for their ongoing generosity and support.
Pictured:-
1. The chicken farm sponsored by Marie-Antoinette Pereire.
2. Judy Bollinger with one of the Roma babies.
3. The Bollinger family with a group of the residents of Bollinger Street - the name now given to the first row of houses.
The Miracles Roma Project deserves your support. Please help us to help the poorest of the poor.
Every penny you commit will go directly towards the children’s welfare and ensure the long-term success of this vital project.