www.solidarites.org

Balkans

From 2015 to 2016

Context

People migrating to Europe to flee war and misery is not a new phenomenon.

However, 2015 was marked by a huge surge in migratory flows, because their closest countries of refuge (Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, etc.) were saturated and unable to offer a safe, protective haven, coupled with the fact that living conditions in people’s respective homelands were unlikely to improve. Stemming from the complexity of this crisis, and the absence of a common policy designed to manage it, is a chaotic situation where people are struggling to meet their basic needs.

Our action

Between 1992 and 1998, our teams provided emergency assistance to victims of the Bosnian conflict, by distributing food products, household hygiene and baby care packs, as well as winter clothing and school supplies.
In 1994, they opened the Youth Centre in Sarajevo, which gave over 550 children access to sports and cultural activities.

At the end of the war, SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL helped to rebuild the country by implementing infrastructure rehabilitation programmes and support schemes for returning refugees.
To be able to return home, people need much more than just a roof over their heads: they also need water, electricity, roads and pavements, schools for their children, health centres, and at least a basic level of income and economic prospects to provide for their families.
For this reason, SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL participated in integrated support programmes for returning refugees and displaced persons. Our teams rebuilt homes (houses, apartments) and public buildings (schools, health centres), and rehabilitated essential infrastructure (water, electricity, roads, street lighting). These activities also included an extensive socio-economic component (distributing micro-loans, setting up advisory offices), which is essential to support displaced persons returning home.

Quotes from our archives:

For the past two years, our reconstruction programmes have focused on “integrated” support for returning refugees and displaced persons, who are often from an ethnic minority. As we rebuild, lay tarmac, supply water and electricity and install street lighting, we are also creating jobs. We are not a construction company, even though we are sometimes up to our ears in concrete, because our essential aim is to bandage and heal the wounds left by war.

Nicolas, Head of Mission in Bosnia for SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL

Should you have any questions, please contact Emmanuel Rinck

Emmanuel Rinck

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