Fehtija Mosque in the centre of Bihać,
Less than a week back in Bosnia, here's how it's going and some stunning photos.
Staring into the darkness, the full-beam of the headlights lit up the falling snow, obscuring the winding road. We had no choice but to stop in the last Croatian town before the border with Bosnia Herzegovina. The bad weather was a stark reminder of the conditions that we were about to enter. Volunteering in Bihać, Bosnia, take three.
After a wonderful weekend hiking in the mountains around Lake Bled in Slovenia, we eventually arrived back in Bihać this week. The snow is worse than at any point last year. Daytime temperatures remain below freezing, pavements stay slippery all day and great snowdrifts line the busier roads where the snow ploughs have cleared.
Staring into the darkness, the full-beam of the headlights lit up the falling snow, obscuring the winding road. We had no choice but to stop in the last Croatian town before the border with Bosnia Herzegovina. The bad weather was a stark reminder of the conditions that we were about to enter. Volunteering in Bihać, Bosnia, take three.
After a wonderful weekend hiking in the mountains around Lake Bled in Slovenia, we eventually arrived back in Bihać this week. The snow is worse than at any point last year. Daytime temperatures remain below freezing, pavements stay slippery all day and great snowdrifts line the busier roads where the snow ploughs have cleared.
The tower of St Anthony's Church, ruined during WWII.
The sight of mosques and the smell of woodsmoke in the air are so strange yet so familiar. For three months last year, our hair and clothes remained saturated with the not unpleasant smell and the call to prayer punctuated our day. The strangest thing by far is the absence of friends. Thankfully the people we met last year have made it to Western Europe now, and face different challenges with asylum processes. Without their help with translation and logistics, we couldn't have been nearly so effective.
No Name Kitchen is the same and different too. The same problems of failing vehicles and not enough pairs of shoes are faced by different volunteers.
But actually, there are so many improvements, especially since that first summer here. In August 2020 we arrived in a city in chaos, struggling to cope under the pressure of thousands of people in need (both native and non-native) and volatile politics. Publicity surrounding the fire at Lipa Camp has led to more international support.
The harsh winter conditions lead many people-on-the-move to return to Bosnian capital Sarajevo or neighbouring Serbia. The camps there are equipped if basic, but a brave few stay in the north, somehow surviving sub-zero conditions. Where last year most people lived in the broken buildings known as the Nursing Home and the Old Factory, now most live on the edge of the city. The big squats were closed by authorities, wanting to force the problem away from plain sight. Now, up to 100 people are in tents outside of the residential streets, with others staying in smaller buildings, out of the way of too much attention.
No Name Kitchen is the same and different too. The same problems of failing vehicles and not enough pairs of shoes are faced by different volunteers.
But actually, there are so many improvements, especially since that first summer here. In August 2020 we arrived in a city in chaos, struggling to cope under the pressure of thousands of people in need (both native and non-native) and volatile politics. Publicity surrounding the fire at Lipa Camp has led to more international support.
The harsh winter conditions lead many people-on-the-move to return to Bosnian capital Sarajevo or neighbouring Serbia. The camps there are equipped if basic, but a brave few stay in the north, somehow surviving sub-zero conditions. Where last year most people lived in the broken buildings known as the Nursing Home and the Old Factory, now most live on the edge of the city. The big squats were closed by authorities, wanting to force the problem away from plain sight. Now, up to 100 people are in tents outside of the residential streets, with others staying in smaller buildings, out of the way of too much attention.
A friendly snowman in Bihać, Bosnia.
Our tasks remain providing food for cooking and clothes and shoes, but now include firewood and water provisions - both things that we weren’t able to do last year. The poor van has to manage the dirt roads with huge cans of water to refill the tanks installed by a partner organisation - not made any easier by the snow. I thought that border violence would be less of a problem right now, with few people attempting to cross mountains or sleep in the woods, yet within a week of being here, we learnt of one group, expelled from Slovenia to Croatia and then to Bosnia, in nothing but their underwear, having had their possessions stolen. Needless to say, their plea for asylum went unheeded.
Yes it’s cold and living conditions are harsh, but it’s so beautiful here.
Yes it’s cold and living conditions are harsh, but it’s so beautiful here.
Stunning sunset on the edge of Bihać, Bosnia..
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