Days of Joy - Recovery from War

Location:	Neum (an der Adria), Bosnia and Herzegovina
Category:	Health
Published:	09 April 2008
Progress:	96% funded
Donors resident in Germany receive a donation receipt for this project.

Rating:	64 Ratings

SEKA is Women's Peace Project in East Bosnia and a Center for therapy, education and recreation. After 10 years of work on the Adriatic Island of Brac the project moved to the town of Gorazde in Bosnia and Herzegowina in September 2007.
The project is supported and mainly funded by German Women's Organisation SEKA Hamburg e.V.

Even 13 years after the end of war through the Dayton-agreement the population in Bosnia and Herzegowina still suffers from the psychological and social consequences of war.
The population of the town of Gorazde is severely war traumatized - people suffered from almost four years lasting siege, shelling, and hunger.
Since September 2007 project SEKA offers (trauma)therapeutic and psycho-educative help for women and children in individual and group work.
Every summer the project organizes therapeutic recreation at the seaside for traumatized women and children.
In June 2009 we again would like to invite a group of 20 traumatized women and children for therapeutic recreation in Neum at the Adriatic Sea.
During 12 days four therapists will give psychological-pedagogique assistance to the children and their mothers in separated group-work and through individual talks. Besides this, of course, women and children will enjoy the sea, the beach and further activities the colleagues will offer them.
Through these "days of joy" women and children will - at least to some extent - overcome their painful experiences and regain self-esteem, trust and joy of life. After returning to their home town Gorazde, Project SEKA will offer them further support, if necessary.

The project is financed entirely by donations: For 20 women and children we need 16.800,- € for 12 days. As being more and more difficult to find the donations for this kind of project, we decided to start already now with our campaign for the therapeutic recreation in summer 2009. We are grateful for your help!

by G. Mueller, created on 19 June 2008 at 05:29 PM

Dear Betterplace-friends,

on Monday the journey to Neum at the Adriatic Sea started - still with cool and changeable weather... But inspite of this mothers and children were so excited - for all of the children and even some of the women it was the first time to see the sea!

The accommodation is really beautiful in a pension with very kind hosts.... doing everything to fulfill our needs and wishes. They provided two rooms for the work with the groups - one for the children, one for the women. One further room as living room for the group in the evening.

The first two days the women as well as the children started with intense group work - forming the groups, getting to know each other, establishing safety and the ground for the growth of confidence. All of the women passed through severe traumas during war, through expulsion, on the flight, through the experience of violence in war and / or in the past-war-time. As always the therapists first layed the ground for the work on such difficult topics: The first days they concentrate on the work on resources, stabilisation, psycho-education on psychological trauma, to connect the women with their inner strengths and to give them information, so that they better can understand themselves - and other traumatised family members...

In the work with the children the therapists use a mixture of topics, which they suggest, as well as the topics and wishes, the children express. Important themes - besides the process of getting to know each other - are here: to create the common rules of the group ("What is important, that everyone in the group feels safe and free?"), good communication, equal rights for all (boys and girls, elder and younger...), getting aware of our similiarities and our differences, how to deal with emotions and a lot of other themes more...

And of course - thanks God the weather improved and today it is beautiful: enjoying the beach and the sea.... also the more anxious children today dared to try the contact with the water.... The therapists helping them with some of our favorite excercises and games....

So far for today...

But not to forget: We still need donations to make all this possible: please have a look at the still open needs....