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In post-conflict Bosnia and Herzegovina, women are a driving force for change IFAD’s first two projects in Bosnia and Herzegovina responded to the need for emergency assistance in a country devastated by war. Once that need diminished, IFAD’s third project marked a transition from immediate relief and rehabilitation to long-term sustainable development, helping stimulate growth in farming-related and non-agricultural rural businesses. The project gave special attention to youth and to women, who with training and microfinance services, were able to kick-start small businesses that are benefiting their communities.
“After the war, the breakdown of social cohesion and the downward spiral into poverty was particularly hard on women,” says Lenyara Khayasedinova, IFAD’s coordinator of the Gender Mainstreaming Programme for Central and Eastern Europe and Newly Independent States. “When family benefits and public social services were decreased, women’s social standing in society plunged. There was a return to more traditional attitudes towards gender, and women who once held prestigious positions in public life are now often expected to stay home engaged in domestic duties.” Even so, women now count as the head of the household in about a quarter of homes in the country, largely as a result of men going abroad in search of work. In addition to having heavy economic burdens, women lack access to land, skills training, finances and equipment. They are often denied participation in political decision-making even though they assume responsibility for the survival of the family. Women make up only 35 per cent of those employed in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and those who are employed face discrimination and receive lower wages. “But despite these difficulties, these women are resilient and inventive,” says Khayasedinova. “There are numerous examples of women who are running successful small- and medium-sized enterprises, many of which have been supported by IFAD’s Livestock and Rural Finance Development Project. They have become a driving force for change and are making solid and lasting contributions to the development of their communities.” Here are just a few examples of women who have beaten the odds. Ljuba Radic: a modern woman in a rural setting Ljuba Radic is a farmer who lives with her husband and two children in the village of Pridvorci in south-east Herzegovina. Her life changed dramatically in the mid-1990s. Before the war the family lived in Mostar, where she taught in a secondary school and her husband worked as a civil engineer. During the civil conflict, 1 million people left the country while another million were displaced internally – altogether nearly half the country’s population was uprooted. Like many war refugees, Radic’s family left everything behind when they fled from Mostar to Nevesinje. “My husband found work in the construction business, but I was unemployed,” she says. “There was nothing for me to do but stay at home and take care of our two children. We live in a rural community, but I didn’t want to be just a housewife, shut up in my own home.” Rather than sit around and wait for a better future, Radic decided to act. She and her husband built a barn and bought two cows. In 2005, she joined the Nevesinje’s producers’ association, which IFAD supports through its Livestock and Rural Finance Development Project. She signed up for training that taught her about milk hygiene, as well as how to use milking machines and a lactofreezer, a milk refrigeration system. Through the producers’ association, the project gave her credit to purchase three cows, covered half the cost of a milking machine and gave her the communal lactofreezer to operate and maintain. Today she owns 10 cows. The local dairy comes to collect the milk directly at her house, a convenience for her and for her neighbours, six of whom use the lactofreezer to store milk. Leading through example After years of hard work, Radic is a leader in her community and a role model for other women. She raises her son and daughter as equals, but she herself has had to fight for equal status as a woman within the community. Initially, her neighbours were perplexed by her activities. “But now they can see that I earn a salary on my own,” she says. Radic now trains local women and encourages them to take initiative and become more active. She also sets an example that proves that rural people do not have to be behind the times. She drives a tractor, a truck and a car, and plans to buy a computer for keeping accounts. “I want to help modernize rural living by keeping in touch with new trends and technologies.” Ljubica Rados: creating a demand for forest products As a single mother, Ljubica Rados was struggling to earn enough to support herself and her children. She lives in the municipality of Gornji Vakuf-Uskoplje, an area famous for its forest vegetation. With some past experience as a retailer, she decided to use her knowledge to set up her own business collecting and trading forest products. “I found people to work with me, gained their trust, and began to build up my business,” says Rados. “In 2000 I registered my company, Flores, which exports medicinal herbs and mushrooms.” Initially, Rados faced high interest rates and short repayment periods, and could not secure start-up capital. It took her three years to find a viable source of credit to improve production after she registered the business, which she was running mainly from home. Finally, in 2003 she received US$25,000 from the IFAD project, part of which went towards the purchase of a cooling and drying room. She used the rest to cover operational start-up costs. Before accepting the credit, Rados found customers for her products in Germany. The business flourished, and exporting mushrooms, both dried and fresh, proved particularly profitable. After exporting 16 tonnes of mushrooms in 2003, the company collected a record 400 tonnes in 2006. A large number of farmers in the vicinity and from other parts of the country are now involved in the work. Flores is a seasonal business with about 2,000 employees, most of them women who welcome the additional income they earn by gathering mushrooms and herbs. Collection is now managed by a producers’ association that the company helped set up. Women in particular welcome the opportunity to engage socially in meetings and training sessions organized by the company for its employees. Training others, branching out “We have always had excellent cooperation with co-workers,” says Rados. “To begin with, I hired a specialist to train those working for Flores in collection techniques and management skills. Then I became qualified as a trainer myself, and now I organize regular training sessions.” “Flores provides the farmers with support and training to enable them to begin producing strawberries,” she says. “We then purchase the products from the farmers and export the fruit to Croatia. We plan to expand into cabbage production, following the same formula.” Verica Elez: awakening women’s skills and creativity Kalinovik is a small town in the Republic of Srpska within Bosnia and Herzegovina. Once a prosperous Austro-Hungarian military stronghold, it is now a poor rural municipality on the country’s border, with a population of only 2,500. It has little to offer its inhabitants in the way of leisure pursuits. There are no cinemas, beauty salons or theatres. Many people have left in search of better lives elsewhere. “Rural women and those from small towns are more marginalized than urban women, a result of lower educational levels and a more traditional social environment,” says IFAD’s Khayasedinova. “They have limited access to training, modern farming techniques and finances, so they toil hard but earn little. They also have poor access to institutions, such as farmers’ organizations and social networks, which could help them play a stronger role in decisions affecting their lives.” The women of Kalinovik were no exception. They played no role in public life but stayed at home, keeping their thoughts and ideas to themselves. But all this changed when a young woman named Verica Elez came to live in the town. Unlike most of the local women, Elez was not a farmer but a professor of Serbian language and literature. She was determined to ignite in these women the desire for change and self-fulfilment. She drew their attention to the new opportunities offered by international organizations concerned with women’s issues and with strengthening the role of women in rural communities. “Because she was not from Kalinovik, it took Elez some time to convince the local women to trust her,” says Khayasedinova. “But eventually she became a driving force among them. She was armed with enthusiasm and patience, and finally persuaded the women to form a women’s group.” Taking charge of the future Today there are 31 women in the group, and Elez is its president. She often takes the initiative to drive women to wool-processing training sessions, or to help them reach the nearest city 400 kilometres away to purchase and transport looms and braiders. She continues to collaborate with NGOs on the women’s behalf, seeking opportunities to market their products. She also encourages them to take on management roles and to look for new business opportunities. Women are taking an active part in a number of activities supported by IFAD grants. Some are involved in wool processing – weaving and making scarves or coarse blankets – and are now planning and designing a weaving workshop. Others work in milk collection and processing. When five refrigeration systems for milk were made available to the community, four of them went to members of women’s groups. “The women of Kalinovik have learned how to spell out what they need and how to identify potential obstacles,” says Elez. “They have assumed the responsibility for bettering their own lives. Now they are attending seminars and computer courses and are planning their futures. These women have acquired self-confidence and substantially broadened their horizons.” Source: IFAD |
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The end of the 1992-1995 conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina marked the beginning of a double transition: the transition from war to peace, and an economic and political transition. Today, the nation’s gross domestic product is only half its pre-war level, and social sector spending has dropped dramatically.
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