Friendship Camps 2010

Other information

Welcome to the Bosnia International Servant Trip
A Ministry of Healing † Hope † Peace for Bosnia and the whole World South Camps
North Camps
Gradacac, Sipovo (partial), & Sanski Most Camps still needs Sponsors! The Story...
Learn about the history of this trip

Send a Camp to Kids!

This summer the New Jersey Synod, ELCA, will host 14 Friendship Camps throughout Bosnia. These camps are for children ages 10-13 (and anyone else who shows up!), and are intended to help bring Healing, Hope & Peace, into their lives and their communities. Each camp has anywhere from 60-350+ students, with 10-20 teachers present. We hope to serve over 2,300 children this summer.

Our Friendship Camps will focus on teamwork, the strength found in a diverse group of people working together, and on the fun of tackling a shared challenge. We use music and drama exercises, conflict resolution and diversity training. We’ll spend the day with the children playing together, singing together, sharing stories, creating art, and eating and laughing together. We’ll give the children, the teachers in attendance that day, and the schools some gifts – including the gift of our time and love.

Every Friendship Camp and Picnic needs to be Sponsored! Many, many thanks to all of the generous sponsors from 2009!

We'll be sure to bring back photos and and a gift to all Friendship Camp Supporters, Partners and Sponsors!

DRAFT Itinerary of Friendship Camps 2010
Visoko Camp
Gradacac Camp
Brcko Camp
Kozarac/Trnopolje Camp
Prijedor Camp
Sanski Most Camp
Travnik Camp
Sipovo Camp
Jajce Camp
Srebrenica (Leptir) Camp
Foca Camp
Mostar Camp
Sarajevo Camp
Vojkovici Camp

Below are notes, and Camp Sponsors, from the 2009 Friendship Camps

VAREŠ Picnic
June 22, 2009

Sponsored anonymously

Vares is a town in central Bosnia with a Bosniak majority. Each year our team receives such a warm welcome here. This will be our fourth year in Vares.

JAJCE FRIENDSHIP CAMP
June 23, 2009

Nancy & Cliff Konnerth; Brunner Family; Anonymous Donor

Jajce is famous for its beautiful waterfall where the lake Pliva meets the river Vrbas. It is also home to the ruins of St. Luke's, a church that once held the actual bones of the Apostle Luke! At the beginning of the war, Jajce was inhabited by people from all ethnic groups, and was situated at a junction between areas of Serb majority to the north, Bosnian Muslim majority areas to the south-east and Croatian majority areas to the south-west. In 1992, after almost all Serbs left the city and fled to territory under Bosnian Serb control, Jajce was heavily bombed by Serb forces. Most of the houses and government building were totally destroyed. The city was under Serb control until the Croatian army retook the city in the summer of 1995. The children in the school and its Director are always very welcoming of our team. This will be our fourth year in Jajce.

KOZARAC Friendship Camp
June 24, 2009

St. Timothy Lutheran Church, Wayne, NJ & in memory of Unni Stitt, beloved friend and devoted Servant of Christ

Kozarac is a small town in north-west Bosnia. It is in Republik Srpska (the Serb-controlled section of Bosnia), though prior to the war it was 85% Bosniak (Muslim). During the war, Kozarac had a rape house set up by the Serb authorities, and was next to the notorious Trnopolje Concentration Camp, where detainees were abused, some tortured, raped or even killed. In Kozarac, our team stays in Srcem do Mira's (Through Hearts to Peace) remarkable House of Peace. The Friendship Camp is usually small, but very important. This will be our sixth year in Kozarac.

SANSKI MOST FRIENDSHIP CAMP
June 25, 2009

Our Savior Lutheran Church, Haddonfield

Prior to the war, Sanski Most held large Serb and Bosniak (Muslim) populations. During the war, it was taken over by the Bosnian-Serb forces of the Republika Srpska, and was under Bosnian-Serb control from the spring of 1992 to 1995. During this time, large parts of the non-Serb population either fled or was forcibly expelled. In October 1995, the city was entered by the forces of the Army of Bosnia-Herzegovina, shortly before the end of the war. This triggered a mass exodus of the Serb population. Today its population is primarily Bosniak. Last year was our first visit to Sanski Most. The teachers and students very wonderful and so welcoming. We are very excited to be returning here!

ŠIPOVO Friendship Camp
June 26, 2008

Ascension Lutheran Church, Haddon Heights in memory of Howard Bunting

Sipovo is a small town in central Bosnia, in Republik Srpska (the Serb-controlled section of Bosnia). During the war no fighting took place in Sipovo, but for a time it was held by opposition forces, which expelled the local, mainly Serb, residents. Since the war it has struggled to recover economically, as Republik Srpska receives little international aid. This is one of the towns we visit where many of the children seem to suffer from significant poverty. Though our first Frienship Camp, in 2000, was met with some mistrust, the people of Sipovo have graciously opened their town to us for many wonderful years. This is one of our largest camps each year, where we often have to, regretfully, turn many children away because of their overwhelming numbers. This will be our tenth year in Sipovo!

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SREBREBNICA Picnic
June 28, 2009

St. John Lutheran Church, Summit

Srebrenica is a small town in the far east of Bosnia – very near the border of Serbia. It is in Republik Srpska (the Serb-controlled section of Bosnia). During the war, Srebrenica was declare a UN Safe-Zone. Near the end of the war Srebrenica (with its large Muslim population) was overrun by Serb forces who, in their attempt to ethnically cleanse the area, massacred over 8,000 unarmed civilian men and boys. This is the largest massacre in Europe since WWII. Today Srebrenica still bears many deep scars from the war; psychologically, physically, socially, spiritually. On the evening before the camp, we'll hold a party with the children of Leptir (butterfly), a wonderful program for children with disabilities.

FOCA Friendship Camp
June 29, 2009

Christ Lutheran Church, Paramus

Foca is also on the Drina River in South East Bosnia and, at least prior to the war, was considered a sister city to Goražde. During the war most of its Muslim population left or was driven out, and went from being almost 50% Serb, 50% Muslim (Bosniak) to nearly all Serb today. Foca was also the site of a rape camp which was set up by the Serb authorities in which hundreds of women were raped. For these reasons we feel this is a particularly important location for our ministry. This Friendship Camp is one of our largest. This is our sixth year in Foca.

SARAJEVO Picnic
June 30, 2009

Sponsored in honor of Katie Sharpe's birthday

Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia- Herecegovina, is the largest city in Bosnia (population of 300,000+) located near the center of the country. It is a beautiful, richly diverse city with a deep, important history in the region. The city was attacked in mid-1992 and was under siege from that time until the end of the war - making it the longest siege in Europe since WW II. This will be our first Friendship Camp/Picnic at this school and our first camp in Sarajevo since 2003. This school where will be holding our picnic has recently begun admitting Roma (gypsy) children. This is a rarity in Bosnia, and an important step toward greater inclusion that we want to support and encourage.

Thank you so much for considering your support of this vital, life-giving ministry!

Download Materials

2009 Trip Schedule (Adobe PDF, about a 112 Kb file)

Posted by Jason on January 27, 2010