English effort to end poverty
Incorporating the Bosnian sponsor fund
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EETEP aid organisation English effort to end poverty Incorporating the Bosnian sponsor fund |
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LATEST
NEWS
We would like to keep everybody up to date with our latest projects in Bosnia. We intend writing up-dates on a regular basis, so keep checking back for up-dates. 16 December 2005 Well I have just got back from another trip to Bosnia. Although the trip went well funding is becoming a serious issue. The work we are doing in Bosnia needs to be done, of this I am sure, however without some help we run the risk of grinding to a halt. As usual my credit card has took a beating but in order to keep things going at the moment there is no alternative. Our sponsor fund that is set up in the UK has just made its first transfer of £190 = 532 mark to Bosnia and this has been a great help. Although we do not have enough sponsors as yet it meant that EETEP only had to top up the sponsor money rather than pay it in full so this really did make a difference. Thankyou to everybody who is contributing via standing order. 
During this visit
EETEP have at last sorted out Ramza our 72 year old goat herder, To
complete this 6 month project we took her a good quality sleeping bag from
Argos, a big box full of tinned food, lino was laid in her kitchen and a good
size rug was put down to keep the place a bit warmer. Although her home is
not up to our UK standards it is at a standard that is acceptable. Ramza will
always benefit from the 100 mark per month sponsorship that the Bosnian sponsor
fund pays but as far as we at EETEP are concerned the time has come to move
on to other projects and we do not intend giving any further assistance except
in the event of an emergency.
The ongoing house
building project for Mustafa in Dzakola is also nearing an end. The
house is built and Mustafa is living in it. The small home has a wood burning
cooker, carpet and two settees. Electric is still a problem at the moment,
we have him connected to his old place however his old home needs to be flattened
so connection with the main power supply will have to be made before any demolition
is carried out. Other work required is a well needs to be dug for water,
inside the house needs painting and some cosmetic work needs to be completed
on the outside. Mustafa looked like a new man when we visited him. He said
his general well being was so much improved now he has somewhere warm and
dry to live, I did feel that although this project has cost a lot of money
it has been worth every penny. EETEP will continue to help Mustafa with his
new home. We will also help out with food parcels and furniture in the coming
months.The best part of the trip for me was spent with Ajisa, Adem and Merima. They are already benefiting from the Bosnian sponsor fund, but Merima still causes us concern. Merima was born with Downs Syndrome. She has many health problems and due to a heart condition she cannot walk very far making her a virtual prisoner in her own home. A few weeks ago I had been talking to Peter Mitchell, managing director of the wheelchair company in Audenshaw, about Merima's plight and very kindly he said he would like to help with a donation of a mobility scooter. This was music to my ears. Peter sorted out a scooter for us and we took it to Merima in Bosnia. The whole family was thrilled. For the first time in years Merima will have some independence back, all thanks to Peter, Again we left a food parcel and a box of paper felt tips etc for Merima. Our next project was a lot more hard work. On a previous visit we had decided to repair the home of Mislavka Dautovic and her 13 year old son Filip. The roof needed completely replacing and the exterior walls needed to be insulated, two windows and two doors were also needed. Due to the time factor we met up with our builder in Bosnia to discuss the roof. Zijo has worked for us before and is an excellent builder. He always keeps the cost down to a minimum and I trust him 100%. He agreed to replace the roof at a cost of 3,000 mark but due to weather conditions was unsure when he could do the job. We have left the money in Bosnia for Zijo so he can get the materials ready for a break in the weather. We found a company in Bosnia who supplied and fitted windows and doors made to measure. We thought it was going to cost a fortune however Amer the owner came back with a price of 720 mark £257. This price was for the complete job so we told him to get it done. That was on Tuesday - by Saturday the job was finished. Now that’s service. Insulation-wise, being a former builder I went down to the builder's yard and bought all the relevant materials. We constructed a wooden frame against the wall inside the house. We packed it with polystyrene for insulation then plaster-boarded the whole thing out and plastered it. One hour before I left Bosnia I was still troweling up the plaster and finishing the job off - that is how tight we were for time. Another project that came about while we were in Bosnia was when we met a Muslim family who live in Dzakola. They are in need of many things. The father Ramiz Ahmedbasic is a land mine victim. His legs were saved but he has difficulty walking. He is married with three children ages six to ten. This family really need some help. Their home is in need of repair - it's one of the old Bosnian construction houses like the one Mustafa had. With a small amount of money it could be brought back to standard. They urgently needed a bathroom suite so EETEP supplied a second hand suite to them, Ramiz will fit it himself. This is the thing in Bosnia - the people will work themselves out of hardship if we give them the chance, We told Ramiz we would try to get some money together for around March so the other building work can be done. Life in Bosnia is hard and EETEP can only do so much, but what we can do is be there with assistance. However small, it really does make a difference. The people of Bosnia just need some hope and if in some small way we can offer that to them then it's all worthwhile. We need your help. We cannot do this alone, so please don’t just read this and throw it to one side, help us! For more information and copies of previous newsletters please contact: phill@booth1778.fsworld.co.uk 17 September 2005 1 - Aisa, Adem and Merrima Our first project has been working with a family now benefiting from the Bosnian sponsor fund - Aisa (mother), Adem (father) and their Downs Syndrome daughter Merima, now 19 years old. This is a family of Muslims living in Republika Serbska Bosnia. When we met them they had many problems that needed to be addressed before any sponsorship would help. Debt was the main problem. Aisa, who looks like she will have a nervous breakdown at any time, explained her financial position to me, crying all the time. Her debts were out of control. These are not purchasing debts, they are for life's essentials - water, coal, electricity, rent. On a measly pension of 140 km (£50) per month they were never going to survive. After giving it some thought we got out my credit card and paid them off - a total of 3,216 km (£1,148). We are hoping that someone in the UK will help us out with this bill. We then told her we would get sponsorship totalling 150 km (£53.50) per month. So far we have sponsorship of £45. So again if anybody can spare a few pounds a month to make up the shortfall we would be very grateful. 2 - Ramza Our second project is for a lady called Ramza. In the last few months we have had her roof taken off, repaired and refitted. New plumbing and taps have been fitted to her bathroom. We have bought her a cooker and a fridge as she didn't have anything to cook on. The shrapnel damage and bullet holes in the front of her house have now been repaired and rendered up. Some electrical repairs have been made so now all the lights work. And before I left this time we bought her a bed settee as she had nothing to sleep on. As for future help, Ramza needs a good quality sleeping bag for the winter, which can see temperatures drop to minus 20 degrees C. Argos sell these so I will take one with me next time. Also a small carpet to cover the concrete floor will help her to keep warm. The total cost of work carried out is 1717 km (£613). 3 - Mustafa Project three is the house-building project for Mustafa. With help from Bosnians who have given us days and days of free labour, the small home we want to build for Mustafa is taking shape. Within a week or two we hope to have the roof on. But as usual funding this project has been difficult. The cost now stands at 4,860 km (£1,735). This is a pilot project so the total cost for completion is unknown. We hope to build similar small dewllings in the future, so the total cost will need to be low. 4 - The Bosnian sponsor fund Project four was the Bosnian side of the Bosnian sponsor fund. 1,750 km (£625) is now in the bank in Bosnia. This gives the fund a good start and gives us time to find sponsors willing to help make up the shortfalls. 5 - John and Marie The last family we helped before we left in September 2005 lives in Croatia. They are called John and Marie. They also needed a cooker and fridge. The cooker they have had for the last five years had only one ring working, so feeding the family was a big job and with the birth of a grandchild we thought it time to replace their old cooker. We bought a cooker and fridge in Bosnia for a total of 750 km (£267) and made a quick detour on the way home to drop them off. The total cost of work done since we started in June 2005 is now 12,990 km (£4,639). £2,800 of this is on credit so as you can see funding these things is not easy. |
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