It was difficult to leave our beloved Bosnia! We had poured our heart and soul into the work there, but could feel God tugging on our heartstrings to make this move, and knew that our colleagues who would be staying behind were well able to take care of things.
We immediately dove into the task at hand, and in the past year and a half, have participated in the following activities, amongst others:
- Psychosocial programs and activities for children and young people in schools, kindergartens, institutions, and centers for displaced people all over Kosovo.
- Programs for HandiKos handicapped centers in 10 cities around Kosovo.
Vicky and Sarah, with a patient at a center for the handicapped.
- Organizing and implementing the 10th, 11th, and 12th annual celebrations for UNICEF of the "Anniversary of the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child".
- Seminars for teachers and childcare workers.
- Staging of activities for the U.N. Department of Youth's "Youth Week" from Oct. 9th - 14th, 2001, with the theme "Youth, What Can You Do For Kosovo?"
"Bicycle Rodeo Day" where we taught bicycle safety, as well as helped local kids repair their bikes.
- "Activated English Club" leadership training seminars. This has been an on-going activity since October 2000.
Our "Activated English Club" graduates, along with Healing Hearts staff.
- Leadership training seminars/summer-camp for a group of 20 young people of mixed ethnicity (12 Albanian, 6 Serb, 2 Roma) on the Montenegrin coast in August 2001. International staff and teachers attending were from 9 different nationalities.
- rganization and implementation of summer camps for 750 minority Serb children in coordination with UNMIK Lipljan and KFOR.
- Organization of music concerts for two years running in cities and towns across Kosovo, many of which had themes of reintegration, reconciliation & tolerance, anti-war, and anti-drugs. This year's tour included 14 such concerts!
- Community projects and ecological awareness programs. Clean-up campaign in minority enclaves, which included an art competition in the local school. As a result of this campaign, trash containers and collection service was begun in this town, where previously there was none!
- Humanitarian aid distribution all over Kosovo. Last summer we helped to distribute 9 containers of aid that came from the U.S.
- Distributing educational material, videotapes and audiotapes, to schools.
- Working with the local KFOR in the distribution of humanitarian aid to needy schools and villages.
"When you see these poor children who have suffered so much for reasons they cannot understand, their nationality or ethnicity makes no difference." -Geoffrey Wormus