From Federation News 1/03
Launching an appeal for
958,000 Swiss francs (US$672,324), the Federation warned that a lack of
humanitarian assistance for people returning home to Bosnia
and Herzegovina was threatening to undermine the sustainability
of the return process. Even though the conflict
ended seven years ago, a battered economy and rampant unemployment
mean life is hard for returnees. The appeal seeks
to provide food, firewood and other assistance to 30,000 returnees
during the harsh winter months. Some 908,000
refugees and displaced persons - or 40 per cent of those forced out
during the conflict - have returned to their homes since the
Dayton Agreement, and Bosnian Red Cross volunteers working at grassroots
level play a major role in helping them resettle. "There is a serious
humanitarian gap and many returnees are asking themselves
if remaining at home is an option,"
says the Federation representative in Sarajevo, Frans Lommers.