Stolac
Stolac lies about 40km from Mostar, in Herzegovina (BiH). There is evidence of civilisation in the area dating back to Neolithic times. The town was considered to be of great historical significance with many historical buildings and artefacts illustrating the
many variations in the culture of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) with a distinctive mix
of indigenous, oriental and Mediterranean cultures evident in the town's architecture. The population of Stolac was as varied as its landscape.
During the conflict of 1992 - 5,
large sections of the population of Stolac were forced
from their homes and into displacement in other areas of
BiH. Many homes were destroyed, historical buildings
dynamited and large areas of Stolac Municipality became mono-ethnic as a consequence.
Returnees to the
area have met with many obstacles. As much of the
infrastructure was destroyed, there
are few
opportunities to find work and so there is
a need, not only for housing reconstruction assistance, but
also for the creation of income generating opportunities. UMCOR's
work in Stolac
UMCOR first started project implementation
in Stolac Municipality in 2000 after opening a field
office in the city of Mostar. UMCOR employs an integrated,
multi-sectoral approach to program implementation. In
other words, program activities are designed to
interconnect and cover a variety of needs within a
selected region, from reconstruction to income generation,
from business associations to community projects.
In Stolac Municipality, UMCOR
programs have provided assistance in the following
areas:
- Reconstruction of 207 houses of which
approximately 50% were rebuilt by the beneficiaries
themselves using 'self help' methodology and half were rebuilt
by constructors
- 195 grants and subsidized loans
amounting to 690.000,00 KM have been disbursed to date;
further programs are currently being implemented through
UMCOR's Mostar office, which will include beneficiaries
from Stolac Municipality
- Two cooperatives / business
associations have received assistance and continue to be
UMCOR partners
- Five local NGOs, civil society
organizations and community initiatives have received
assistance including organizations which help children and
youth, women, people with disabilities and more
Some of the beneficaries of UMCOR programs in Stolac:
| |
 AC
Agroplod first received
UMCOR assistance to
set up a distillery for making essential oils from
herbs. The co-operative received
technical assistance
and have recently been accepted as
an UMCOR CEAS partner for the production of medicinal
herbs and soft fruits. Agroplod members
also produce certified organic
crops. |
|
 Rasim
Obradovic returned to the village of
Borojevici near
Stolac in 1998. He is a member of Agroplod through which
he has received assistance in the form of a cultivator. He
has several greenhouses and grows potatoes, peppers and
tomatoes. Many other villagers in Borojevici are Agroplod
members. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 Ragib Dizdar is president of the
BA Prevrednik in
Stolac town. Set up in 2002, the multi-ethnic association
has 102 members. It provides multiple benefits such as
strengthening the community, enhancing business
activities, democratisation and its activities provide a
practical way of achieving a multi-ethic, prosperous and
stable community |
|
 Bogdan
Nikolic produces handmade ornamental metalwork and is
famed in the area for his work. When designing a piece, he
makes a chalk drawing on the floor of his workshop and
lays each scroll onto the pattern as it is completed. He
received an UMCOR subsidized loan which enabled him to set
up his forge and he is also a member of the BA Prevrednik. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 During
the dry summer of 2003,
Ismet
Kaplan's crops of grapes, wheat
and potatoes were adversely affected by a severe
drought in the Municipality of Stolac and
neighboring Capljina. UMCOR assisted him and two other
families with improved irrigation by drilling a bore hole.
The families are now looking at ways of regulating the
water flow. |
|
 Brothers
Damir and Edin
Serdarevic have both received
UMCOR subsidized loans; Edin
purchased tools and
set up an agricultural
machinery workshop, while Damir
bought hens and equipment for egg
production. The family home was rebuilt
with UMCOR assistance by sub-contractors. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 Enes
Kohnic, returned to Stolac town with his invalid
mother, Sabira, in 2003. He rebuilt their house with UMCOR
reconstruction assistance. He is starting a small trout
breeding business and currently has 40 kilos of fish but
he hopes to buy more if his application for an UMCOR
subsidized loan is successful. |
|
 When
the Karic family
returned to Poplati in Stolac Municipality, they received
UMCOR assistance which enabled them to rebuild their
house. Further assistance enabled them to reconstruct the
barn in which they keep their cow. They hope to buy
further livestock with a subsidized loan and finance their
dream of breeding cattle. |
|
Updated June
2004 For more information on UMCOR's work in
Stolac, contact:
UMCOR Bosnia and Herzegovina / Mostar
Field Office
 Marsala
Tita 35/1
88104 Mostar
BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
Tel: + 387 36 552 240
Fax: + 387 36 552 240
Head of Field Office: Zlatan Buljko |
