Former Bosnian Refugee Stitches A Brighter Future

By David Snyder

Nevenka Vukovic fixes her glasses firmly on her face, and stares down the bridge of her nose at the stitching in front of her. It is a difficult pattern, and new in all respects, but Vukovic has overcome much harder challenges in her life than the threads of a tricky pant seam.

"I have very bad living conditions. I was a refugee during the war, so now I am a returnee," Vukovic says. "All of my family are all over the world."

Having fled Bosnia-Herzegovina during the war that raged here from 1992 to 1995, Vukovic knows first-hand the hardships of poverty. Living in Germany for 13 years with her Serbian husband, Vukovic—a Catholic—returned home to her community near the city of Sarajevo to find a difficult life, living as a mixed-faith couple in a Muslim community that is still scarred by the ethnic violence of the war.

Though he was a taxi driver before the war, Vukovic's husband now finds it difficult to get work. Learning that Caritas Bosnia, a partner of Catholic Relief Services, was providing some support for those in need, Vukovic knew where to look for help.

"We don't have insurance and my husband is not working," Vukovic says. "I contacted Caritas for assistance."

With the contact came training for women from impoverished communities around Sarajevo in which they're taught marketable skills. Working through Caritas Bosnia, CRS is implementing a project called Enhancing Local Capacities, which aims to improve livelihoods in at-risk communities through small-scale economic activities. When Vukovic learned that the Caritas office was providing lessons on sewing, she could hardly wait to sign up for the three-month class.

"I got a sewing machine from my sister-in-law…but I didn't know how to use it," Vukovic says. "So when Caritas organized this course I was more than happy to come and learn."

Now, she and 12 other women meet each week to learn sewing techniques from an instructor paid for by CRS. Since most women live in poor communities on the edge of the city, CRS also pays their transportation each way, and has provided Caritas Bosnia with new sewing machines to use for classes. Having come back from Germany with nothing, the sewing machine her sister-in-law gave her is the only means of support Vukovic now has.

"I had all of my money in a bank," Vukovic says, "But I lost it all during the war."

Reducing Risks of Trafficking

One element of the project is aimed at educating impoverished women on the risks of human trafficking, which remains a threat in much of Bosnia-Herzegovina. By providing job skills to impoverished women, CRS is working to ensure that their children will be less at risk, while also reaching the women with anti-trafficking messages. So far, CRS has reached more than 18,000 women with educational messages.

For Nevenka Vukovic, the work of learning to sew seems more like fun. The women banter through the two-hour class, listening carefully to their instructor, who floats constantly from machine to machine, giving tips and offering advice.

"This is my third class," Vukovic says. "I never had any sewing experience in my life, [but] I can't wait to come here."

David Snyder is a photojournalist who has traveled to more than 30 countries with CRS.