In our third video, Sangeeta interviews Seida Saric, County Director in Bosnia and Herzegovina of Zene za Zene (Women for Women – part of Women for Women International who lend solely to women).
The discussion focuses on the positive difference microfinance, as administered by Zene za Zene, is having on the Bosnian people. Zene za Zene focuses on small businesses such as dairy farms, dress-makers, and local producers. The conversation looks at how the company works, who they’ve helped and the difference they’ve seen as a result of this help.
“Seida was really down to earth, friendly and hospitable,” reflects Sangeeta (Belma’s companion on the trip). “She was so welcoming and warm, and made us feel at home. Belma had a lot of reservations before she went but the reception we received totally confounded both of us. We were quite shocked but felt reassured because the situations we encountered in Bosnia wasn’t as harsh as we thought it would be.” And what did you think of Zene za Zene? “It’s inspiring - the relationships they have with their clients are really close and it’s obvious that they genuinely care about their clients’ welfare.“
Seida Saric has been the Country Director in Bosnia and Herzegovina since 1998 and has helped more than 13,000 women rebuild their lives after surviving rape, forced impregnation and ethnic cleansing, as their bodies were being used as tools of war during the devastating conflict in the 1990s. For more than three years, Seida and her sisters lived under siege in Sarajevo, and she risked her life on a daily basis to provide emergency services to her fellow countryman trapped in the city. Without access to water or electricity and with the constant threat of attack, day-to-day living became minute-by-minute for Seida and the women of Sarajevo.
Under Seida’s leadership, Women for Women International-Bosnia and Herzegovina has implemented a program of direct financial assistance, rights education, vocational skills training and income-generating opportunities. Women in the program acquire skills and finance for individual growth and develop a communal growth and understanding as women for various religions and ethnic groups come together. Seida and her staff identify the need to have women from the varying groups meet to tell their stories, and identify the similarities as a means of peace-building. She also oversees Women for Women International’s largest, most successful microcredit program, which has provided loans to nearly 11,700 women totaling approximately $21.9 million.
Before coming to Women for Women International Seida worked at Save the Children and at Care International in various capacities. She studied engineering in university and is currently studying economics.
First, Belma and Sangeeta discuss the trip on the way over. Terrible sound quality at the start I’m afraid, but that’s because they’re on the plane. After that, they visit a Microfinance Institute in Derdenta, called Zene za Zene (Women for Women – part of Women for Women International who lend solely to women).
This is the first of 12 videos where Belma Gracankic, A Customer Adviser at The Co-operative Bank, returns to Bosnia, her country of birth that she fled during the 1993 war. Belma and her family escaped to Britain and settled in the North-West. Belma subsequently found employment with The Co-operative Bank, here she returns to Bosnia to examine the positive effect the Bank’s micro finance initiatives are having in helping to rebuild the country.
In the remaining videos Belma and Sangeeta travel round Belma’s home town, meet people who’ve been helped by Microfinance, whilst also visitng important sites from the conflict and sites important to Belma, putting the help that microfinance has given into context.
Before Belma went on the trip to Bosnia, Richard Wilcox, Head of Structured and Asset Finance at The Co-operative Financial Services spoke to her about her concerns and hopes for the trip.
Belma Gracankic is a Bosnian refugee working for the bank. Here is her background, in her own words:
My family and I lived in Bosnia until 1992, when the war broke out.
We came to England in 1993 with the hope of re-building our lives.
I started working for smile in 2004, taking a short break to go
back to Bosnia to get in touch with my roots. On my return I began
working for the Manchester Branch of the Cooperative Bank.
It was through general chit-chat with Richard Wilcox, in the branch,
that I heard of Microfinance. Richard told me about his trip to Bosnia
and the good work we were doing over there.
Coming from a Bosnian background I know how proud and honest
Bosnian people are; they do not want handouts. I felt that Microfinance
was the perfect way to help them get back on their feet.
I wanted to find out more and to see first hand what a difference
Microfinance was making to the country that has made me the person
I am today. It was for this reason that I got involved.
Belma went over to Bosnia earlier this year with Sangeeta Kaur, a member of the Corporate Banking Team. They took a video camera with them to document some of the beneficiaries of Microfinance, but also to revisit some of the places that Belma lived.
The Co-operative Bank has created a special $50 million fund in order to support the future development of small businesses in some of the world's poorest countries. Here we follow Belma Gracankic, a Bosnian refugee who now works at the bank, as she returns home to see how microfinance has helped rebuild lives in Bosnia.
