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TWI for the Children Camps to Kids
Dates Activity 6/25/2009 Thursday
Team departs USA: Preparing for camp 6/26/2009 Friday
Arrive Sarajevo: Danielle, Bobby and Lisbeth arrived with 18 camp bags. Missing two bags. The ladies were met by Dzanan and taken to the apartment. Peter and David were already in Sarajevo.
6/27/2009 Saturday
Day Free: Team prepares for Serbian Camps. Last two bags arrived and team met and were told to be ready to leave for Serbia at 8:00 AM. Team members were given a tour of Sarajevo by Vjeko and some of the team went out to see a bit of the night life before leaving for Serbia in the morning. 6/28/2009 Sunday
Travel to Serbia - Bata Bulic: Team packed and left Sarajevo for Serbia on time. The van followed the New Jersey team as far as the turn-off to Srebrenica. Borko and the interpreters met the remainder of the team at the hotel. Held a big meeting with Vanja and team was told that there would be 100 children at the school on Monday. This was the first team meeting and everyone went over the days activities and their responsibilities and circle groups. Overnight Bata Bulic
6/29/2009 Monday
One-half day camp at Bata Bulic, Serbian School: Camp was a huge success. More than 90 children attended. School English teacher helped out and asked that the children answer the questions from the "Red Riding Hood" story in English. Bobby would throw a soft- ball to the children who were to answer the questions. Everyone had a great time and all circle groups worked well. This was the first time any outside group had visited the school and they asked that TWI return. The camp finished at noon and after gifts, the team had coffee with the teachers. Team is well and having a great time. Team now at the hotel in Jagodina and have walked around town after dinner and now ready for bed. Scheduled to be ready for camp in Jagodina tomorrow morning at 8 AM. We had 94 children at our first camp in Svilianac .
TWI’s Summer Camp 4 The Kids 2009 was kicked off at the Bata Bulic school in a remote Serbian village where literally no foreign or domestic organization had been before. This seemed to be a common theme for TWI’s 2009 Balkan camps, to be the first supporting organization to visit these schools. We were greeted by the local children with much anticipation, more excitement and the curiosity of George. The condition of this school told a story of its hard history. The faded yellow walls wore portraits of old war heroes while the small gymnasium bore nothing more than worn gymnastic equipment from the late 1950’s. Despite these conditions the children were all smiles. As the TWI staff prepared the camp activities and games, the children peeked through the barred windows with an overjoyed eagerness. Once the children received their nametags and signed the TWI camp banner, it was off to the gym which we filled with bouncy balls, soft frisbees and stimulating music. It was obvious from their reaction that these toys were not a common sight. The chaos of children at play soon set in. The depressing yellow gym quickly transformed into a house of laughter and smiles of children being children.
As soon as all of the campers were accounted for Bobby commenced the TWI summer camp with the story of “Little Red”. Now this story was not the traditional story of Little Red-Riding Hood where the villainous “Big Bad Wolf” eats little ole grandma. Instead, Bobby told a much happier version of Little Red aimed at teaching the TWI campers morals and listening skills. In Bobby’s version, “Little Red” as Bobby often referred to Little Red Riding Hood, travels with her friends: Buzzy Bee, Baby Duck, and Mr. Wolf. The four friends travel together to grandmother’s house because grandma is sick. During their adventurous travels through the forest they must follow a set of six very important rules. The children followed Bobby’s every word with interest and intrigue. At the end of the story the TWI campers answered questions that Bobby would ask about the story. They all proved to be very good listeners and passed the quiz with flying colors.
When the story finished the children were separated into three groups: the blue ducks, the yellow bees, and the red elephants. Each group of campers proceeded through each of the three activities: (1) arts & crafts (2) music & dance (3) games. During arts & crafts time the children decorated TWI camp bags, completed mazes, and filled their faces and arms with stamps and stickers. The music & dance session was shaking. The children danced the limbo, freeze danced, and played hot potato. Meanwhile the games session saw obstacle courses, hoola hoopin, and a parachute game which was definitely the biggest hit.
After the campers had lunch we returned their arts bags which we filled with candy they had never tasted, a mix of skittles and starbursts. As the TWI camp for Kids was coming to a conclusion Bobby presented the teaching staff with TWI bags along with other donations to the school. After the official camp for kids was closed Bobby and the TWI staff had a meeting with the local teaching staff over coffee. During this meeting we discussed TWI’s expert observations including an assessment of the conditions in addition to hearing the basic needs from its teaching staff. It was determined that in addition to some basic needs such as play equipment the school is in need of native English speaking teachers.
Jagodina for Overnight
6/30/2009 Tuesday
One-half day camp at Jagodina Serbia: We only had 17 children at our camp in Jagodina. It was nice to have a smaller camp after the first program. In Jagodina our accommodations were very nice. We had a nice tour of the city from our new interpreter Ivan, who will be attending the leadership camp. Bobby is doing a great job with her story and the kids really love it, kids of all ages seem to really like our activities. Bobby is in charge of leading the games with Danielle, David and Peter are doing arts and crafts, and Lisbeth and Dzanan are doing musical activities. The Jagodina camp was similar to the Bata Bulic camps in many ways. This school was located in a larger village. There were also more pictures hanging on the walls which were crafted by the students. Upon our arrival it was obvious that TWI had visited this school in the years prior. The children seemed to know exactly who was here…its TWI camp time! One of the teachers mentioned to me that the children at this school have been constantly asking when TWI was coming back. She said that as soon as summer began the children would ask when Bobby and TWI was coming.
This school did not have a gymnasium. Unfortunately this happened to be a common theme with the schools in the Balkans. No worries, the TWI staff is very inventive and can make do with what we are working with. We would get pretty inventive over the course of this trip. Sometimes we would hold the games and activities outside if the day permitted. Other times we would transform one of the larger classrooms into a make-shift gym. For this camp we converted one of the larger classrooms into our gym and brought out the bouncy balls, frisbees, soft tunnels, music, and the expandable spheres. During arts & crafts I remember how excited these children were at the sight of stickers. It was as if stickers were something alien to these kids. Such an amazing thing really, it reminded me of what my face would have looked like the first time I tasted chocolate. Anyway, we tried to give each child a sticker but one was just not enough to satisfy the sticker frenzy. The most popular arts and crafts activity was to place the animal head sticker on the TWI bag and crayon in the rest of its body. I was pleasantly surprised at the enormous amount of creativity and enthusiasm these campers expressed for the arts. I guess it’s best to conclude that creativity and art is inherent in all of us – all you need is love, support, a few stickers and a pack of crayons.
Travel to Pristina, Kosovo
Overnight in Pristina
7/1/2009 Wednesday
Camp 1 in Kosovo: Morning: Primary School “Ali Hadri” Mirash village.
Primary School “Ali Hadri” in Mirash village is in a rural poor village in the Ferizaj Region. In this school QPEA organized some activities. At this school camp will be 15 volunteers from QPEA . A reason why this school is include this year is because the children need to be more active in these workshops. A second reason is to motivate and to exchange experiences between volunteers of Mirash village and TWI Volunteers from
The Ali Hadri school in Mirash village was located in a very remote hillside where the homes were mostly constructed of self-made bricks comprised of mud, hay, and rock. Driving down the road to the school we had to stop as a flock of sheep totally consumed our road. As we pulled off the dirt road into the schoolhouse about 70 or so children were waiting for us on the schoolyard. We were all very excited to see such a large amount of children. Much to our surprise 10 minutes later the yard was flooded with roughly another 120 children from all over the surrounding neighborhoods. I remember Bobby hopping out of the van and without hesitation began to hug and give high-fives to the children. I on the other hand was a bit overwhelmed and intimidated even by the amount of kids running toward us. Right then and there I saw how much Bobby really cares for all of these children. It was if 200 kids were greeting their grandmother they had not seen in a year. There were about 200 children, not one of them without a smile. There were so many children eager to join the TWI summer camp that we feared our materials may be quickly depleted. What added to the challenge was that the schoolhouse was made to accommodate about a third of that number. There were no gym facilities and the classrooms were built for about 30 children at a time. What few desks in the classrooms were hardly in the best condition. This did not deter our dedicated TWI staff however; we were motivated more than ever to give these children the best camp they have ever seen. So, we worked with what few resources we had and made sure that each child received the attention and camp activities they so craved.
At the start of the camp many of the teenage children gathered around the center square and didn’t seem very interested in our presence. It felt as if they were there to watch over the well-being of their younger brothers and sisters. As the camps got underway a few older teens snuck away from the group and popped their heads in the arts and crafts doorway. They approached a TWI staffer and politely asked to join the activities. We happily obliged as they joined the younger kids already at play.
Another observation that was apparent was the USA flags that hung all around the schools. In every corridor and hallway hung the national flag of Kosovo accompanied by the stars and stripes of the USA. The teacher’s lounges and classrooms were also filled with calendars with former US presidents shaking hands with Kosovar political figures. This close US-Kosovo relationship was not just apparent from the flags either. The most popular artwork during the summer camp for kids was children decorating their TWI bags with pictures of their Kosovo flag flying happily next to the USA flag. The kids would proudly show their drawings of the flags to the TWI camp volunteers. Although it was a very welcoming environment, it was also an environment that was in desperate need of assistance.
Although we had feared our resources might not be sufficient, we managed to provide every little TWI camper with toys, candies, games, arts, and dance. Not one child left unsatisfied, we made sure of it. As the Ali Hadri camp came to a close the principal of the school made a point to mention that we were the only organization to visit their school. A Kosovo education volunteer organization called QPEA supplied volunteers as well. Therefore this school went from neglected to receiving national and international support in just one day. I could tell the principal was so delighted that his kids were happy. So, we held our ceremony, thanked the principal and made our donations before we hit the road for the afternoon camp in Naim Frasheri.
Afternoon: Primary School “Naim Frashëri:, Zaskok village
Primary School “Naim Frashëri” in Zaskok village also is in Ferizaj Region. In this school children are from two communities: Albanian and Roma communities. Before the war in this village were also Serbian communities but after the war, they are not living here. In this school QPEA has organized a lot of activities:
This camp took place at the base of a mountain range at a school in Zaskok village called Naim Frasheri. From what I was told by the locals it was a location where much of the fighting between Serb and Kosovo forces took place. The school was apparently where the Kosovo forces had their headquarters. Therefore the area was heavily shelled and covered with landmines. There was a mix of kids at this location. There was a larger group of children between the ages of 10-16 who were a part of another local summer camp. Then there were the local school children. The facilities at this school were sufficient. The colors were brighter and the classrooms had desks that were suitable for children. Near the rear of the school there was a large gym; this was a sight that we were really not used to at this point. One thing I remember was the amount of USA flags hanging around the school. I had seen them accompanying the Kosovo flag in the other schools but this one had them everywhere. Before the camps began I was invited over to the teachers’ lounge for a coffee. I had already set up my arts and crafts room so I accepted the invitation. As I sat in the room with three other teachers we quickly learned that communication was limited. I did not speak a word of Albanian and each of them spoke very limited English. The reason I am mentioning this story is the crazy conversation that took place.
As I sat there smiling and noticing a poster of former US President Bill Clinton hanging above one of the teachers heads the attempt at conversation began. One of the teachers sitting across from me began. After about 25 minutes of extreme confusion and laughter on both ends I think he was trying to tell me that he had met Bill Clinton at a sport complex near the US base. Although he struggled to get this story out I could tell by his face how proud he was for meeting Mr. Clinton. The arts and crafts time was so much fun. Most of the boys drew the Kosovo and USA flags together while the girls would draw flowers, hearts, and their families. Instead of TWI bags to decorate, this time we decorated Frisbees. We had a few US soldiers join our camps who were there with the KFOR forces. This resulted in one of the best sights I had seen so far. Sitting at the end of one of my craft tables were a US and Kosovo soldier huddled over a tiny table drawing with crayons on their Frisbees. The boys in the class would make their flag drawings and proudly show them to the soldiers who responded with high-fives and thumbs up. All of the children loved the frisbees so much. Meanwhile, across the hall I could hear the cheers of the children playing the games accompanied by the dance music from the other group cutting up rugs.
Completed our first 2 camps in one day in Kosovo. We had 188 children in the first village school and 176 in the second. Had just enough supplies and lots of fun. This program is much needed in these villages, the amount of poverty was surprising. The kids and the adults were very positive, bright, and loved everything we had to offer. We visited the caves near Lipjlan and had a tour with our Kosovo team. The team is terrific and it's great to see our leadership team from last summer plus working with the QPEA volunteers from each of the villages. Dzanan is an expert driver, expert interpreter, and aspiring musician. We may want to consider different accommodations because as nice as the hotel appears from the outside, it is a little
Overnight in Pristina
7/2/2009 Thursday
Camp 2 in Kosovo Morning: Primary School “Skënderbeu”, Jezerc village, part I
So it seems there was a bit of a mix-up with the afternoon camp. This camp was located on the top of a mountain in the most remote area we had been to date. This was a one room schoolhouse high atop a mountain overlooking the town of Ferizaj. Despite this school’s breathtaking views, its condition was poor. This little schoolhouse had no equipment for children and it seemed at first glance that it was doubtful that it had books. The outhouses stood about 50 feet from the classroom; its doors lay off the hinges, its sewage backed up to the rim.
The confusion with the schedule occurred because the children of this school were invited to the previous camp. Therefore TWI arrived to an empty schoolhouse. This did not set the determined TWI off its mission however. Soon enough the school’s only teacher arrived. Bobby, Lizbeth and the rest of TWI proceeded to offer our help and support to the school teacher. We provided him with some play equipment for the children in addition to special training with our expert and very knowledgeable teaching staff. While the training was taking place a few of the local children waved as they passed on their way home from our previous camp. In the end, despite the mix-up with the second camp we fulfilled our mission. The children of Naim Frasheri now have stimulating learning equipment and one freshly trained teacher.
Afternoon: Primary School “Skënderbeu”, Jezerc village, part II
The next Kosovo camp took place on the other end of Ferizaj near a village in Jezerc. Just like the two previous Kosovo camps, this school welcomed us with a large group of children jumping with the excitement of Santa’s little elves at Christmas time. As we pulled in the yard was filled to the rim with children of all ages looking for a chance to join the TWI summer camp. I was sure there was just as many children in this group as there were during our first Kosovo camp in Ali Hadri. This time I was much better prepared to handle 200 plus children at once. Although we were back to having no Gym facilities we were fortunate to have a large cemented area in the front yard. The day’s sun was shining bright and the air was hot. Despite the heat Bobby and one of the TWI volunteers named Danielle got right to it and played games with 200 kids.
I will mention some of the children at this camp so you can get a better idea of the children of Kosovo. There was a precious set of inseparable twin girls, sweet little Roma children, a few gorgeous "special needs" children and brothers and sisters of all ages holding hands and playing games with excitement. Bobby kicked off the camp with her story of “Little Red” as other TWI volunteers prepared for camp. This camp, like all the others, ran smoothly with laughter and produced well over a thousand smiles. The campers decorated masks and frisbees, played games for hours and danced the day away. If you watched closely you may have even caught Bobby or David sneaking in to dance up a storm. This even after she had just played with 200 kids all day in the hot sun. As the camp day came to a close it was hard for TWI to make its departure. The children seemed to want to keep us. They all wanted to be in a photograph with their new American friends. As the TWI van was loaded and we began to drive off the children ran alongside the van. They were smiling and trying to wave goodbye, it was hard to leave this school, the children we all so lovely.
Overnight in Kosovo
7/3/2009 Friday
Travel to Sarajevo: Travel time to Sarajevo from Pristina was 14 hours as the team could not go through Serbia. Note: do not get your passport stamped when entering Kosovo from Serbia as you will not be allowed back into Serbia. - Met with Bosnian Team in Sarajevo
Overnight in Sarajevo
7/4/2009 Saturday
Picnic Camp for Zenica Orphanage Picnic for children from Zenica orphanage
The camp, as well as the picnic, were very well organized. Each member of TWI managed to successfully engage in the games and activities presented to the kids and helped children with the difficulties that they ran into while playing games. The relaxed atmosphere in which the camp was held helped children learn different skills of fair-play, teamwork and leadership. The variety of activities satisfied individual styles of each child.
Zenica was my first official camp with TWI4Kids so I did not knew what to except, especially because we are a small team, and the rain did not help at all. But surprisingly, after bringing the kids under the concrete structure, the fun really began. I think that everyone enjoyed the activities. The older kids would not like the dancing but still when we would do sports and games they would laugh and have fun just as any other younger kid. And, of course, everyone loved the parachute. Another thing everyone liked were the presents!
After a 14 hour detour back to Bosnia on Friday, we made it to a park in the hills overlooking Zenica for our TWI camp for the Zenica orphanage. This camp was a little different from the previous camps we had hosted. This camp was heavenly; it was set in a park where we enjoyed beautiful outdoor scenery, a musical hoedown, and one heck of a BBQ. The children ranged in ages from 4 to 18 years. Yet they all acted as one big happy family. The leader of the pack… Mrs. Bobby Houser of whom many of the children lovingly referred to as their grandma. That’s right, Bobby has been supporting these children for more than 13 years now. She has seen many of them grow up to be young adults. I know this because one of the older children, who now is a volunteer at the orphanage, told me stories of how she views Bobby as a major part of her family. This girl said she now volunteers at the orphanage largely because she was mentored by Mrs. Houser.
So then, back to the day of camp. The TWI Zenica campers were all given caps with different animals themes. We had frogs hopping, lions roaring, fish swimming, and cows mooing. All the way through the camp activities the kids would play the part of their animal hats as they danced and played games. You could hear the “roar” “ribbit” “mooo” all throughout the day, it was precious. The dance turned into a hoedown even a cowboy would be proud of. Of course it was a Bosnian hoedown with its native spin. As the accordion stretched and pulled its magical cords, the caretakers, TWI campers and staff joined arms in three circles each bigger than the other and layered around the next. As the music sang its Bosnian tunes the circles hopped and rotated to the music. It was a shimmy I will not soon forget. There was not one still foot in the entire park that day, everyone was jumping and jiving. The Zenica hills were surely alive with the sound of music.
Overnight Sarajevo
7/5/2009 Sunday
Camp for Special Needs Children at Rama, Bosnia-Herzegovina - Early departure from Sarajevo for Rama. Families and children arrive - free time to get settled. Lunch - quiet time for the children (short walks, swimming, naps). 3 - 5 PM, camp activities - outdoor activites.
- Dinner in the monastery and evening camp craft and dancing activities.
Rama camp for children with special needs
One of the successes of this camp was the story of Little Red Riding Hood which the kids, as well as the mothers, found very interesting. The children enjoyed the show and role plays and were eager to answer the comprehension check questions. This enhanced their listening skills and they were taught important lessons of listening to their parents and the importance of following the rules.
Moreover, they enjoyed and actively participated in the crafts since this is one of the best way for them to express their emotions and artistic skills. Mothers, as well as the children, enjoyed their free time since that was the great and rare opportunity for them to get together, exchange information, share their concerns and experience in different aspects of life.
Children enjoyed the walk through the woods and singing in the nature. The TWI team managed very well to help kids in the wheelchairs and mothers appreciated this a lot. The team was very attentive to these kids and this was recognized by the mothers who praised each member of the team for their dedicated work.
The Rama camp for "special needs" children took place at a monastery deep in the Bosnian hills. This was one of the most wonderful experiences for all TWI volunteers and I quickly learned why. The Rama monastery was situated right in the center of a valley between two lakes. On both sides of the lake were some of the most beautiful mountains I have ever seen. The scenery was not even the best part either! The 'special needs" children were some of the most beautiful people I was yet to encounter. From start to finish they were all smiles, jokes and laughter. For arts and crafts we took pictures of all the children and then had them decorate picture frames. When their frames were finished we would fix them so they could keep the memories of their camp with TWI. The arts and crafts were followed by music and dance. Now, if you thought that the Zenica hoedown sounded like a hoot, the "special needs" children showed us a thing or two about how to dance. These were some of the best freeze dancers in all the land. Let me give you a brief example. The freeze dance works like this. When the music plays the children dance, when it stops the campers must freeze and not move while the TWI expert spookers try to get movement. If the child moves then they sit on the side to see who the champion is. Well, the children would all have to be crowned champion because they were so fantastic at this game! We tried our best to get even a slight movement or laugh but they showed us just how strong they really were.
After the arts and dance were finished we all went outside for our games. The games began with some hoola hoopin and then moved on to a treasure hunt in the forest for animal hats. We all joined hands and followed our path to find our treasure. These little treasure hunters quickly found their prizes. There must have been a rainbow out that day revealing where the treasures were hidden. After the treasures were discovered we were all so happy that we decided to sing right then and there. The children all taught us their native songs and we sang to the hills of Rama.
Overnight Rama
7/6/2009 Monday
Camp for Special Needs Children at Rama. - Morning camp program
- Lunch in the Monastery
- Scavenger hunt walk
- Free time - prepare for drive back to Sarajevo.
Rama is magical and adding these beautiful children and their mothers makes it just perfect. I didn't see one kid who wouldn't like the activities, the level of creativity with these children is just amazing. The mothers could finally relax and had full trust in our TWI4Kids members. The favorite activities were crafts and music and the favorite game for the kids was hot potato. One of the kids told me that he almost "died" laughing while playing hot potato. The only thing I didn't like is that we didn't had an opportunity to somehow bring the wheel chair kids to the lake so that they could enjoy the beautiful water too. I was also talking to the mothers, and they would keep telling me how much they appreciate this camp and how much they are thankful.
Travel to Sarajevo
Overnight Sarajevo
7/7/2009 Tuesday
- Half-day morning camp at Sarajevo Orphanage
Again, the story was a great success in this camp. Bobby caught their attention and the children enjoyed the colorful costumes and the show that the team prepared.
The TWI team, with the help of their previous experience and skills, successfully overcame the challenges in the gym and adapted activities to children's style, learning and abilities. The craft went very well and children enjoyed the quiet time coloring the frames. The personalization achieved by putting the kids' pictures in the frame was a great idea and children enjoyed participating in this activity.
The Sarajevo orphanage was an difficult experience for me. In the beginning these kids looked so shy and so disciplined and as soon as the camp started they went crazy. One of the things I would change is when it's turn for the sports activities not to let the balls, spheres etc. out of the bag so the children couldn't see or grab them.
The next camp took place at an orphanage in the middle of Sarajevo. The building was still riddled with not so subtle reminders of its 5 year war. The orphanage sadly wore bullet and mortar holes. In the basketball court you could see that a mortar hole had recently been filled in. It is hard to imagine that not even the home of orphaned children was off limits. Despite these grim reminders the camp for kids was amazing. The kids at this orphanage were much younger on average. They were all very excited to get to the campers activities. They all happily engaged in the camp activities as a few older kids played a game of basketball with some of the TWI volunteers in the courtyard. The orphanage was filled with children’s drawings and learning activities. The kids all looked happy and well taken care of. Some of the children want a mentor, someone to play with and care for them. The kids were great, all very much engaging with art, dance and games. It’s hard to imagine being so young and alone. Despite their circumstances they were all smiles and energy of happy kids at play.- Half-day afternoon camp at Roma Cultural Center, Sarajevo
Camp at Roma center
This was the first time that TWI had the camp for the kids from Roma community. This was a unique experience for all of us and we enjoyed engaging with this wonderful community. The kids were very interested in what we had to offer to them and were active participants in story, crafts and music. They were eager to learn about American culture, language and games. The kids were shy at first, but once they relaxed they enjoyed the camp.
The kids enjoyed the snacks at the end of the camp and were happy to have participated in the event.
The following article was published about TWI camp on the website of the Municipality of Center of Sarajevo:
The Municipality of Center of Sarajevo has a great cooperation with NGOs for years especially when their projects concern the youth. One of such interesting projects was Summer Camp for Children, an educative workshop for Roma children from Sarajevo, organized on 7th July 2009 in the premises of Ciglane-Gorica Center.
"In our workshops children have the opportunity to learn different skills through games and fun. During the sports activities they develop teamwork skills, during crafts they express their creativity while during story telling they enhance the skills of thinking, listening and communication" says Mrs. Bobby Houser the President of the TWI for the CHILDREN.
Thirty children (elementary and high school) from Roma community of the Ciglane-Gorica community participated in the games, crafts and music during this workshop for several hours. The kids enjoyed the activities and listening to the story, answering the questions, listening and repeating the words in English. In this way they had the opportunity to learn basics of English language. Sanija and Dajana, who attend the "Hasan Kikic" elementary school in Gorica said that they enjoyed the activities, had fun and met new friends. At the end of the friendship camp the kids were presented with gifts such as balls, hats and toys as well as the picture frames that they decorated during the crafts.
This half-day TWI camp for kids was held at a Roma (gypsy) culture center. TWI arranged to transport the children in from their Roma village that was nearby. These kids were all very much ready to get camp underway. They all decorated their picture frames while they listened to music. From their faces I could tell that their favorite part was tasting candies that they had never had before this day. It’s hard to tell though because when they were given mini American footballs and blowup animal creatures the smiles stretched ear to ear. I noticed that these children all very much practice sharing with each other. It seemed that possessions were more community items rather than something that is purely for the individual.
I really appreciated that about these kids, there was never any hint of want among these children. What a beautiful thing. Snack time was the same. We all enjoyed an assortment of delicious cookies, potato chips of all kinds, some popcorn and juices. When the camp activities came to a close and the children collected their arts and crafts the TWI van was loaded up and the children headed back to share their arts, candies, and new toys with their families. What a beautiful group of children!
Overnight Sarajevo
7/8/2009 Wednesday
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Early departure for Mostar
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Lunch at Mostar Orphanage
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Afternoon Camp activities at Mostar Orphanage - crafts, games, musical activities.
Camp at Mostar orphanage
Despite the many disabilities of some of the children from the orphanage and their problems in behavior, the camp was successful and the activities such as sports and craft helped the kids to feel successful and able to cope with the difficulties while doing different things. It was amazing seeing older teenagers helping younger ones during the sports and crafts and also teenagers participated actively in all activities.
The children felt loved and were asking when the team is coming back. It was touching how well they remember the members of the team who weren't present at the camps.
We arrived for our next TWI camp for kids at an orphanage in Mostar. The facility was located next to a river among giant hills which was situated right on the outskirts of Mostar. These facilities were in some of the best condition that we had visited. They were adequate to accommodate the number of children; they had a gymnasium and a cafeteria. From what I understand this was not always so. Apparently a few years back these children had to live in temporary container homes. Fortunately a donor from Egypt decided this was unacceptable and built them a proper place to live. She must have seen what we from TWI saw, children that were smart, creative, and well deserving of a place to grow. The TWI summer camp was held in a lower level of one of the units where the orphanage library was located. How awesome, a library for the children. Sadly, this was the first library that I had seen while in the Balkan schools.
The camp was a great success. The kids were all very happy to participate. They danced, crafted gorgeous art, and tried to communicate with us in English. One thing I noticed was that the walls of this library were filled with drawings and figures written in English. I noticed however that many of them at first were not attempting to speak with us in English. One of the TWI staffers noticed this and informed the rest of the staff. For the rest of the camp we were all making an effort to draw out English from the kids. As the camp came to a conclusion we arranged for all the kids to receive some clothing and other items that they really needed. Although their facilities were nice it was obvious that clothing and toiletries were not something they had ready access. When the kids received their new clothes they would proudly wear them.
Overnight Mostar Orphanage
7/9/2009 Thursday
- Morning half-day Camp at Mostar Orphanage
- Travel to Montenegro Orphanage
- Teams from Serbia, Kosovo, and Montenegro arrive in Bijela, Montenegro during the day -- Leadership Programs begins with "Welcome Dinner", initial orientation workshop.
Mostar was a successful camp. The kids were so happy to see us and they enjoyed the activities too, even the old ones that would pretend in the beginning that it's childish etc. They also liked the presents, especially the button down shirts and sunglasses. This year two kids came to me before we left, Aldin and Armin, and gave me their pictures and told me that I'm their new big brother and that they all can't wait until we come next year.
Overnight Montenegro Orphanage
7/10/2009 Friday
The leadership camp was really interesting for me. It was my first time there and I really like almost everything about it. The way the presentation is held, the topics etc. I can say that I learned some useful stuff that I can and will use in the future. The only thing I didn't like was the length of some of the presentations. Maybe putting some breaks in it would be better because concentration would drop after a certain amount of time.
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10 - 12 AM: Morning camp for Montenegro Orphanage
Bijela was unbelievable, these kids loved everything. Even the older kids would get involved into the activities and the kids just loved the music sculptures, some of the kids would approach me later and ask me to play it with them again. The liked the gifts too so I really believe that the camp in Bijela was 100% successful .
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Lunch
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2 - 3 PM: Afternoon camp program
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Free time
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5:30 - 8 PM: Dinner and Leadership Workshop
The final stop for TWI Camp for Kids was held at an orphanage in Montenegro. This orphanage was situated along the seaside among the rolling hills of Montenegro. This orphanage was much like the orphanage of Mostar. It was a good facility with many able caretakers. This orphanage however had a large ward filled with infants and toddlers overlooked by a team of nurses. The kids here were all wonderful. They were especially good swimmers because they lived just next to a beach. We decided to hold the game camp in the water. The large blowup bouncy balls quickly transformed into the best water toys around. Bobby’s opening story of “Little Red” in addition to Arts & crafts as well as music and dance was amazing. It was held on a balcony that was overlooking the gorgeous beach. Some of the TWI staff were bombarded by a water balloon fight as we were in search of the water toys.
It is amazing the bond created between children without parents. The older children usually watch over the younger kids much like a parent or concerned big brother/sister would. They help each other with arts and crafts and show each other how to dance. They laugh with each other and cry with each other. It was similar with the TWI staff. At the end of the trip we all very much felt like a family. What would bring us all closer was the TWI leadership camp which we held next to the final orphanage.
Overnight Montenegro Orphanage
7/11/2009 Saturday
- AM: Leadership Workshop
- Lunch
- Camp for Montenegro Orphanage
- Free Time
- 5:30 - 8PM: Dinner and Leadership Program
The TWI Leadership Workshop took place in a hotel that we were staying at located just next to the orphanage where we had just held camp. The workshop consisted of the teams from each of the countries we had visited. There was a team from Bosnia, Serbia, and Kosovo. The leadership camp began with team-building activities constructed by David and Lizbeth. They split all of the participants into different groups depending on personality. There were Lions who like to be in charge, giraffes who like to follow, bears who like to calculate, and owls who are social animals. We were each given a puzzle to solve using group work. Each team successfully completed their puzzles but each in its own way. The giraffes finished first, they each followed each other’s lead. The owls finished next although they were missing a few pieces, claimed they were finished and then began to mingle and talk. The lions followed in a close third but claimed they were first (of course). Finally the bears, who had the most complex puzzle, worked on theirs with the help of the lions who came in to take charge. Meanwhile the owls were still wondering around talking. The important thing is that the participants interacted and got to know one another and work toward a common goal.
The leadership workshop activities were broken into three conferences per day. One in the morning, one at lunch time, and one at dinner. These sessions were hosted by Drew who covered topics ranging from leadership skills to conflict resolution. In between the conferences the groups would be challenged with teambuilding tasks such as puzzle solving. There were also break times where all of the participants would swim at the beach and enjoy each other’s company. During the seminars TWI would also make it a point to keep the groups together. This was brilliant as it enticed the individuals to learn about each other over lunch time conversation. As they got to know each other through these activities and conferences everyone got to know the other better. The Bosnian participants were swimming with the Serbian participants. The Kosovar and Serbian individuals would go off jet-skiing with each other.
In the end the mission of the leadership camp was a success. The participants received leadership skills though the training sessions. I made it a point to speak to them over the course of the camp. Many of them had become friends and had even exchanged contact details so they could stay in touch. I was informed that the 2008 leadership camp fell along similar lines.
To conclude I would just like to say how these participants are so promising. Many of them are teachers themselves and will be engaged in shaping the young minds who will become the leaders of their countries. Therefore, these leadership workshops are the start of the change that the Balkan countries so desperately need in order to move their societies forward. This is why the work of TWI, although it seems small, will grow much beyond what many of us might take at face value. This is why the process of peace-building is a long road, one that is not often traveled, but one that is essential if our world is to get beyond the destruction on both mind and body caused by the nature of war.
Overnight Montenegro Orphanage
7/12/2009 Sunday
- 8 - 12 AM: Leadership Workshop and closing ceremony
- Teams depart for home
- TWI team departs for Dubrovnik
Overnight Croatia
7/13/2009 Monday
Day free in Croatia: Visited Dubrovnik 7/14/2009 Tuesday
Day free in Croatia 7/15/2009 Wednesday
Traveled to Sarajevo 7/16/2009 Thursday
Day free in Sarajevo: Visited Learning Center for Special Needs Children. 7/17/2009 Friday
Day free in Sarajevo 7/18/2009 Saturday
Day Free in Sarajevo: Click here to see our pictures from the time in Sarajevo. 7/19/2009 Sunday
Departed Sarajevo for the United States Additional funds are needed for the Camps for Children project. Donate now by credit card to help the TWI Program