We Effect’s work in Bosnia and Herzegovina is focused on contributing towards the socio-economic development of the rural areas and improving the quality of life of the rural population. An important pillar of our work is the economic empowerment of women and strengthening their role in the community and in the overall processes of rural development.
Further, we work with reconciliation between different ethnic groups.
Partnership approach
We Effect collaborates with local partner organisations – which are member-based and represent the voice of the smallholder farmers and other vulnerable groups.
Jointly we advocate and work for economically, environmentally and socially sustainable agriculture and rural development with a gender perspective.
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, We Effect collaborates with two local partner organisations.
Multi-country programme
Our work in Bosnia and Herzegovina is part of the We Effect Europe multi-country programme (2018-2022), primarily focusing on sustainable rural development. The main emphasis is on national structures but also includes elements of regional processes, synergies and structures. The programme functions as a platform to promote sustainable dialogue and regional cooperation. The programme includes support to local organisations in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Moldova and North Macedonia.
Projects
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, we are also working through two national projects:
Civil Society and Rural Development in Bosnia and Herzegovina (CiSaRD)
Partner organisation: Centre for Economic and Rural Development (CERD)
The project objective is to strengthen the capacities of civil society organisations and their networks, to boost equal participation of rural women and men in local economic opportunities, advocate for their interests and contribute to policy harmonisation with the EU standards. The attainment of this objective will create an impact in terms of poverty and injustice reduction in the rural areas of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The project is supporting the process of transformation of CERD into a member-based organization that will unite the existing women associations active in rural development, mainstream gender equality and integrate the human rights-based approach principles in its overall work.
The objective of the project is to directly address the identified core problem that the rural population in BiH and their rural organisations lack capacity and mechanisms for sustainable local community development and improvement of livelihood, both of women and men, as well as mechanisms for influencing public policy in its harmonisation process with the EU relevant policies and standards.
Empowerment of Women, Precondition for Reconciliation in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Partner organisation: Association of citizens Vive Žene
The project is primarily focused on women, survivors of war, who are living in ethnically divided communities. The aim of the project is to establish trust, respect and communication between the women, as a precondition for reconciliation.
Even though they live in divided communities they experience the same hardships of being rural women. They also have joint needs to improve their skills and capacity to take active role in the community developments, to increase their knowledge in business development and to market their agricultural products.
The project will create neutral space for discussions between the different ethnic women’s groups and foster development of a joint vision for the future. The goal is to become economically strong, actively involved in public life, equal, have mutual solidarity and become recognized by the local authorities as women’s groups working together to promote and protect human rights, peace and gender equality.
The cooperation between the different ethnic women’s groups will be a constructive contribution to reconciliation and building durable peace in the rural environments of north-east Bosnia.
