This is only part of the projects that H.A. Divita – Miracles realized in the past decade. Our work is continuously financially supported by La Fondation Miracle, which is also our biggest donor. Also, Divita – Miracles participated in many smaller projects with other non-governmental organizations, which it supported in their work, both financially and with advice, by organizing educations, seminars, panel discussions, by providing apartments in MC with accommodation capacity for 30 people.
Miracles – Construction of houses and educational center for Roma people
Roma are the most numerous of the 17 national minorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina. According to the population census in BiH, from 1991, only about 8,000 inhabitants declared themselves as Roma. However, all reports from the field today show that there is a much larger number of Roma in our country. The special report on the situation of Roma in Bosnia and Herzegovina prepared by the Institution of Ombudsman for Human Rights of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with the support of the OSCE – this Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the OSCE Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina from 2013 showed is that about 50,000 Roma live on the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
In the atmosphere of prejudice, discrimination and perception of Roma as “other” and those who do not belong to the society in which they live, crimes committed out of hatred also occur. The special report on the situation of Roma in Bosnia and Herzegovina showed that the state, although it is mandatory, does not sufficiently ensure basic rights for Roma. Criminal acts committed out of hatred towards members of the Roma community are, unfortunately, not rare, and the absence of an appropriate reaction by the competent authorities can create a climate of impunity and deepen the experience of marginalization. Over 95% of Roma children in Bosnia and Herzegovina are unable to attend classes due to poverty and discrimination.
In the period 2008-2018, H.U. Divita – Miracles worked closely with representatives of the Municipality of Zenica, as well as with representatives of the Roma community of Zenica. The project was designed to solve the housing and educational problems of the Roma in Zenica, where approximately 300 impoverished Roma families live in very difficult conditions. Aware of the desperate housing and educational needs faced by the Roma, a plot of land was purchased in the settlement of Perin Han, next to Zenica, on which six family houses, a community center and a greenhouse were built for the needs of six families. During the duration of the project, DM hired two employees who helped the children with schoolwork, daily household chores, and agricultural work every day. All houses are fully equipped and our first families moved in in 2009.
The project was supported by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports, with whose support we equipped the classroom with computers and provided school supplies and textbooks for project users.
