A Letter to our Friends

 The Cross at Rama

TWI for the CHILDREN, Inc.
Training Workshops International (TWI) for the Children is dedicated to education and needs of  children in the Balkans

Dear Friends, with the people of the Balkans is an expression of our desire to be of service to those less fortunate than ourselves . I want to  thank all of our donors for supporting our work with 

     We started "TWI (Training Workshops International) for the Children" in 1996 after becoming involved in Bosnia. We are dedicated to improving the educational needs of people in the Balkans and working with children in orphanages and in small schools throughout the Balkans. In past years we  focused our work on Bosnia-Herzegovina, and now  we are involved with people throughout the Balkans.

       We have made progress in regard to helping at-risk children; children with special needs; and,  children in orphanages.  We endeavored to teach educators about dealing with at-risk and special needs children and to assist  disabled people. Our work continues now to expand into leadership training and workshops as well as working with the children.

  "TWI for the Children"  worked with parents, teachers and caretakers in village schools and orphanages throughout the Balkans  teaching skills they can be used in everyday life; providing instruction in how to cope with specific adolescence problems; and, for those with special needs, how to become more independent at home and in the community. TWI now concentrates on providing leadership skills to university students in the Balkans.

Time was not waiting for the young adults who participated in the  TWI program for "at risk" teenage orphans. By law, orphans had to leave the orphanage as soon as they finish high school and this caused fear and anxiety for these young people. Attending school on a regular basis during the war was not possible for children in war zones. These children  become young adults and  paid the price of a delayed education. For the child in an orphanage, who had no job skills and no family outside the orphanage, there was fear and uncertainty as the time arrived when they must leave the only home they have  had and suddenly become an independent adult. TWI  worked with children in orphanages helping them gain a better education.

     We are excited about the future of the Balkans. Our vision  is to continue expanding our work to schools, orphanages and universities throughout the Balkans.  We currently work to provide Leadership Training Workshops and Camps for Kids activities in the Balkans. In past years, we  hosted internship program for university students  spending four to eight weeks in orphanages in Bosnia and Montenegro and  provided scholarships to help qualified young people attend university in the Balkans. Another major area of TWI support was to the "Learning Center for Special Needs Persons" in Sarajevo.

     Our work comes from our love for the Lord. It is a great blessing to us to pass on the joy of serving to the volunteer leaders who go with us. It is exciting to see how this experience changes the lives of our team members. We have had volunteers return home to dedicate their lives to full-time mission work; others returned to their home  to  witness to how their  lives profited from the trip. Our  Balkan team members   pray for us and for our country regardless of their religious affiliation. It is not our desire to be social workers, but to be servants…to teach the lessons of leadership, love, forgiveness, reconciliation and compassion to children and their families throughout the Balkans.

      Many of our original projects have been completed and with funds now difficult to obtain, we have had to  stop many of our most important projects. However, our thanks go out to everyone for their support and prayers that make our work in Bosnia possible. Our future work in the Balkans is predicated on the continuing support of those persons who  assist us in helping the children of the Balkans.

Love to all

Bobby Houser, President