Landmine survivor Zoran Panić

Landmine survivor Zoran Panić, was born in 1973. He got injured 1992 from antipersonell type of landmine in the village of Vozuća, municipality of Zavidovići in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Today he lives in the city of Doboj with his wife, one son and one daughter. Zoran is engaged within the Association of Amputees and serves as the president of all amputees in the region of Doboj, in Republika Srpska.

Zoran Panić at home adjusting his prosthetic leg.

Zoran Panić at home

#landminefre2025 #mineaction #npa #bosnia #demining #nikonz6 #nikond850

Landmine survivor Petar Petrušić

Landmine survivor Petar Petrušić was born in 1968. He got injured in the village Ševarlije-Doboj, Republika Srpska during reconstruction of railway. The accident was caused by antipersonnel type of landmine PROM-a, in 2011. It caused him serious injuries in his arm and on his stomach. Three other workers were injured and 2 were killed. Today Petar lives in the village Pridjel- Doboj with his family.

Landmine survivor Petar Petrušić sitting outside his home.

Petar Petrušić helping his son picking Kiwano fruits from his greenhouse. 

Petar Petrušić helping his son.

It caused him serious injuries in his arm and on his stomach.

#landminefre2025 #mineaction #npa #bosnia #demining #nikonz6 #nikond850

Landmine survivor Osman Huskić

Osman Huskić walked on a landmine on April 6, 1996 as a returnee to the village near Doboj in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He has had 7 surgeries on his leg and is living with his wife and two children.

Osman Huskić, landmine survivor.

Osman Huskić has had 7 surgeries on his leg.

#landminefre2025 #mineaction #npa #bosnia #demining #nikonz6 #nikond850

13 Arts- Bhutan

The Arts of Embroidery (Tshemzo)  is considered one of the 13 traditional arts taught in Bhutan. It was traditionally crafted only by men with religious background. The techniques origins from China and Tibet and was, and still is, used for banners and ceremonial clothes. Today girls are taught embroidery in the National Institute of Zorig Chusum in Thimphu where these photographs were taken in 2014.

Students at the National Institute of Zorig Chusum in Thimphu

Students at the National Institute of Zorig Chusum in Thimphu

Students at the National Institute of Zorig Chusum in Thimphu

#bhutan #art #embroidery #photography #tradition #13arts #ReportageSpotlight #nikon

Landmine free 2025

The Norwegian People's Aid just outside of Sarajevo does a very important job training dogs to become mine dogs. The trainers shows amazing contact with the dogs and efforts are done in order to help achieve the goal of making Bosnia and Herzegovina mine free by 2025. I continue to look forward to work with these guys in the coming months. 

A trainer in action with their daily routines.

#landminefree2025 #npa #norwegianpeoplesaid #photography #dog #dogtraining

A little bit of Help!

Jennifer Stone-Wigg (MBE), born 27th march, 1942, was born in England but have been based in Lugano, Switzerland for over 5o years as well as in Bosnia during the last 25 years. Her focus during the last 25 years, since the war in Bosnia, has been to help those who needs it the most. During that time, she has organised about 50 lorries of goods. Here is a link to her project on www.100-days.net.

Jenny helps carrying goods that have arrived from Switzerland with a lorry.

She has helped schools, such as putting in a water tank, chemistry lab and library. She has supplied schools with about 100 computers. She brought 14 war paraplegics with medical staff to Switzerland for check-ups and a holiday. We invited 24 children with only one parent to Switzerland for a holiday. 

A family near Sarajevo receiving food packs from Jenny.

A family near Sarajevo receiving food packs from Jenny.

A family near Sarajevo receiving food packs from Jenny.

We are distributing food packets and supporting about 100 poor and sick children with economic assistance. We also buy sandwiches for children who are unable to afford them in various schools. 
Also, local refugee centres have received help from donations through the projects run by Jenny.

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Blankets, toys and other materials have been delivered from Switzerland and distributed at a refugee camp near Sarajevo.

The material is stored and distributed rapidly as stocks are low and temperatures freezing during the winter in Sarajevo.

There are many children at the refugee camp. The conditions are poor, although services are improving, as shown here during activities. 

Jenny with students who are helping her, visiting a family benefitting from her help.

Recently, she lost one of her main donors (The donor now supports a local project in Italy). Jenny very much wants to complete current project that she has committed to next month. 

She needs your help! 

From this fall, she will be continuing her efforts from her apartment in Lugano, this way she is cutting cost and hope  to continue her work. Remember, all money raised goes directly to her project helping children all over Bosnia. 

The son in this 4 person family is diabetic from he was 9 years old. He lost his sight completely at the age of 25. Before he lost his sight he was a talented artist and craftsman. He used to build wonderful houses from matches and we used to sell them for him in Switzerland and Italy.

He also loves animals and birds in particular.

He has 5 birds and the eggs are collected and serves him well as they are good for his immune system.

He has 5 birds and the eggs are collected and serves him well as they are good for his immune system

The living conditions of this family is not good, but still better than in the past. The mother was abandoned by her husband with three children, a boy of 5, a boy of 4, a boy of 3. Unable to pay the rent, she was thrown out her house. The children were badly beaten by their father and the boy of four cannot see well due to the father beating him on the head early on in his life.

The eldest son has a hair lip and is going to be operated the day after our visit. The children appear "stressed" and hard to manage.

More to come...

#bosnia #poverty #help #100days #switzerland #children

April 4th is Mine Awareness Day

“On this International Day for Mine Awareness, let us reaffirm our commitment to eradicating the horrendous damage caused by landmines and assisting those who have been harmed by their use.”
- UN Secretary-General António Guterres.

Landmines is a huge problem in many parts of the world. Today, in order to mark the April 4th as the Mine Awareness Day, The ministry of Civil Affairs in BiH, in cooperation with the Commission for Deming in BiH and the Bosnia and Herzegovina Mine Action Center with the support of the UNDP and the Swiss Embassy in Sarajevo invited guests to the parliament building to mark the event. 

April 4th is Mine Awareness Day, Ms. Sezin Sinanoglu from the UNDP talks to the media.

 #LandmineFree2025 #MineAwarenessDay #ReportageSpotlight

Saliah Osmanovic reflections on the Karadzic verdict.

Saliah Osmanovic lives about an hour outside of Srebrenica. She lost both of her sons as well as her husband during the genocide in Srebrenica. 

On March 20th 2019, United Nations appeals judges have upheld the convictions of former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity and increased his sentence from 40 years to life imprisonment.  In this context, we met with  Saliah Osmanovic who visited the Potocari Memorial where the verdict was broadcasted on live TV. The following day, we went to meet with her at her house not too far from the memorial ground in Potocari. 

'Nermin! come here, they will help us, we are safe'. This is roughly what Ramo said when shouting towards his son, in order to make him come forward. Ramos and his son was most likely exhausted and probably hungry and thirsty after having walked for two days. A week earlier (On July 6th), he and his wife, Saliha Osmanovic had buried their youngest son, Edin who was killed by a grenade. They, together with over a thousand others, had been walking for two days- trying to escape from the Bosnian Serb forces who had taken Srebrenica on July 11th 1995. When Ramo screams out for his son, they have all been captured. Most of them were likely killed in what is known as the Kravica massacre. They are standing near Kamenice, not far from Kravica, around 45 minutes drive from Srebrenica.

Saliah Osmanovic does not want revenge. She wants tall he guilty people responsible for the genocide and war crimes to be prosecuted and for justice to happen. One of her pleasures in her life is to talk to the local children. She treats them sometimes with sweets and explains it is not important to her as from which ethnic background they come from. She hopes for a future where neighbours can live in peace.

#karadzic #mothersofsrebrenica #srebrenica #genocide #verdict #storytelling #ReportageSpotlight #portraiture 

United Nations appeals judges convict former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic to life in prison.

United Nations appeals judges have upheld the convictions of former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity and increased his sentence from 40 years to life imprisonment.  Here, Nura Mustafic is talking to the media after learning the verdict while watching live broadcast on TV at the Potocari Memorial, just outside of Srebrenica in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Nura Mustafic is talking to the media after learning the verdict while watching live broadcast on TV at the Potocari Memorial, just outside of Srebrenica in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

#karadzic #lifeinprison #mothersofsrebrenica #srebrenica #genocide #verdict 

Surviving Srebrenica: Hasan Hasanovic

Hasan Hasanovic posing inside the Potocari Memorial museum. 

The building is part of the old car battery factory which was later used as the UN Head Quarter during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992- 1995. Srebrenica was a so called "safe area at the time. Hasanovic later survived the genocide which took place here in July 1995. His father, twin brother and uncle did not. His story can be read in his book: Surviving Srebrenica.

#srebrenica #genocide #bosnia #portrait #photography

The Red Cross, Sarajevo

The Red Cross building in Sarajevo was originally built in 1929. It not only housed the Red Cross, but also included  public baths, a soup kitchen, law offices and  the Cinema, Kino Sutjeska. In 1992, during the war, the building was totally destroyed. Part of the building has now been reconstructed and repaired, other parts will hopefully follow in the near future. Getting to know the history of this building is special. More to come. 

A pigeon is flying over the partially repaired roof of the Red Cross building in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. 

#photography #redcross #bosnia #sarajevo #bird #pigeon #documentary