![]() |
|
| Home | Home Team | Travel Team | Friendship Camps | The Story | Guestbook | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
KOZARAC Friendship Camp 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 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 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! <%PHOTO_GALLERY%>
SREBREBNICA Picnic 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 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 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.
Download Materials
|
||||||||