The past still haunts Bosnia-Herzegovina, where the brutal conflict in the early 1990s left the country’s infrastructure and economy in ruins, and many people deeply traumatised. An estimated 400,000 people suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Deep ethnic and political divisions still tear the nation apart, reflected in and exacerbated by its complicated system of government. At our Soup Kitchen in Glamoc, however, we are overjoyed to see Croats, Serbs and Bosniaks becoming friends and sharing their lives. They are elderly war refugees who have settled in Glamoc from 46 different municipalities, and many of them are broken after losing loved ones and their homes in the war. We provide them with emotional and spiritual support, as well as practical help.
Bosnia-Herzegovina’s unemployment rate (25%) is the highest in Europe and the third highest in the world. 15% of citizens cannot afford basic services, such as food, clean water, fuel or healthcare. We support families living in poverty in Mostar, Bugojno and Tuzla, shining the light of Christ’s love into a country where only 0.01% of the population are evangelical. Through our emotional and practical support, we help people overcome the past and move toward a better future.