Letter to Team Volunteers

TWI for the Children
Letter to Team Volunteers

The purpose of this page is to provide a personalized letter to new volunteers going to the Balkans with TWI for the Children to take part in our projects to help disadvantaged children in this region of the world. We want to provide additional insight into what new team members can expect from their work in the Balkans. This page provides our expectations and a brief summary of our projects in the Balkans.

Dear Friend:

TWI for the Children wants you to know about our organization and better understand what we do to help the people in the Balkans. We trust this letter will provide some insight into what you can expect in Bosnia and from your work with the children in Bosnia.

I know that you and your families may have concerns pertaining to the feelings people in this part of the world may have about America -- they love you and they are waiting for you!! There are no signs on the walls, no demonstrations in front of the American Embassy or elsewhere. Like you, we were concerned that there may be some things said because we were Americans but things Anti-American are just not said or seen.

I have visited the places where TWI will have camps. I met teachers from the schools and orphanages at these towns. They wanted me to tell everyone that the children can hardly wait for "the van to pull up in the front of the building"!!! So get your arms ready for hugging, your bodies ready to be hugged and your energy built up so that you can last through it all.

I want to tell you something about TWI "Training Workshops International" for the Children, Inc.

Background:

"TWI for the Children's" work in Bosnia and Herzegovina began in 1996 when I joined thirteen other Americans to participate in a trip sponsored by Mercy Corps International for a fact-finding trip after the war. The fact-finding group arrived in country in mid-November 1996 soon after the end of the war. Although I had watched the war on TV, it was another thing to see it's effects first hand. It changed our lives. Following this trip my husband and I decided that our years in the military and our Christian up-bringing had prepared us for the "second part of our lives" - what to do when our children were gone and we were retired. After much prayer and conversations with our children, we decided to dedicate ourselves to working with children in the Balkans.

Early Camp to Kids Activity:

From the time "TWI" started it's first projects, there has been no stopping our work in Bosnia. Our first request for help came from the director of the orphanage in Zenica. We were asked to do something to bring back the childhood the children had lost because of the war. In 1997 we worked with about 140 children at the orphanage in Zenica and over 300 children at the school in Gradacac. AND, there were only five volunteers on our first team - plus four Bosnian team members. As you can imagine, we were overwhelmed! But the children loved us and the caretakers in the orphanage and the school teachers helped us in our work. As we met with the directors of the orphanage and school after each camp, we discussed how to best help the children in the future.

Expectations:

We have spent the past ten years partnering with adults in Bosnia who have dedicated their lives to helping these precious children - teaching them to understand that love is needed. The kids are longing for people to love them. "TWI for the Children" feeds those children who are hungry; donates clothing to those who don't have proper clothes; and, we love each child with unconditional love - not thinking about who they are: Orthodox Christian Serb, Muslim Bosniaks, Catholic Croat, or a child from a mixed marriage. Our work plays an important part in their lives. We come to them with no bias and we give them our unconditional love.

Other TWI for the Children Projects

From these early days in 1996, TWI has grown into an organization that includes projects we never even thought about back then -- but each project deals in some manner with children. Look at our web site (www.twi4kids.org) and you will see that we also support the following projects:

International Studies:

The International Studies Project: (1) brings university aged students to America for short-term internship programs; (2) takes American instructors to universities in Bosnia; (3) takes American university students to provide educational support to orphanages in Bosnia and in Montenegro; and (4) provides scholarships to deserving Balkan students.

Special Needs Children:

We take disabled children from Sarajevo and their families to a retreat in the mountains each summer. If funds are not available for this weekend event, we sponsor a "Day in the Park" for these wonderful people.

TWI is helping to advise and fund a "Learning Center for Special Needs Children" in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. This Center works with children with special needs to help them adjust to normal life in the community.

Day in the Park:

As frequently as possible, the families of the children with special needs gather for a day in the park or at a restaurant. This allows the children to learn how to react in a public place and to show the public that disabled children are no different from them. This time together is also a period in which the families share common problems and work together to solve their problem.

Training Workshops:

The TWI Training Workshops first started as educational workshops for caretakers in orphanages. Out workshops have become an important part of our work in the Balkans. We now take these workshops to selected cities and towns throughout Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Albania, Serbia and Montenegro. The workshops are designed to meet the needs of caretakers, teachers, mental health providers, and others who work with children. We focus on the subjects of: anger management, drug abuse, learning disorders, attention deficit disorders, and stress among the caretakers and teachers working with at risk children. Our objective is to train the educator to teach others about these subjects.

As I bring this message to a close, let me take this opportunity to thank each one of you for taking time from your busy life to join us and most of all for coming with us at a time when our dollar is so depressed against the Euro. We are so pleased that you are joining our work and pray that your expectations will be met. We know that you will be blessed by working with these wonderful children.

Just remember:

"All blessings are temporary so it is best to hold them in open hands. You can't enjoy a blessing held in a clinched fist."
"God removes one blessing only to place another in its place".

Our projects are becoming increasingly more expensive. Please help by sending your tax-deductible contribution to TWI for the Children. You can now contribute by credit card. Donate now by credit card to help the TWI Program.

updated:03/01/2008


		TWI for the Children Letter to Team Volunteers
The purpose of this page is to provide a personalized letter to new volunteers going to the Balkans with TWI for the Children to take part in our projects to help disadvantaged children in this region of the world. We want to provide additional insight into what new team members can expect from their work in the Balkans. This page provides our expectations and a brief summary of our projects in the Balkans.
		Dear Friend: TWI for the Children wants you to know about our organization and better understand what we do to help the people in the Balkans. We trust this letter will provide some insight into what you can expect in Bosnia and from your work with the children in Bosnia. I know that you and your families may have concerns pertaining to the feelings people in this part of the world may have about America -- they love you and they are waiting for you!! There are no signs on the walls, no demonstrations in front of the American Embassy or elsewhere. Like you, we were concerned that there may be some things said because we were Americans but things Anti-American are just not said or seen. I have visited the places where TWI will have camps. I met teachers from the schools and orphanages at these towns. They wanted me to tell everyone that the children can hardly wait for "the van to pull up in the front of the building"!!! So get your arms ready for hugging, your bodies ready to be hugged and your energy built up so that you can last through it all. I want to tell you something about TWI "Training Workshops International" for the Children, Inc. Background: "TWI for the Children's" work in Bosnia and Herzegovina began in 1996 when I joined thirteen other Americans to participate in a trip sponsored by Mercy Corps International for a fact-finding trip after the war. The fact-finding group arrived in country in mid-November 1996 soon after the end of the war. Although I had watched the war on TV, it was another thing to see it's effects first hand. It changed our lives. Following this trip my husband and I decided that our years in the military and our Christian up-bringing had prepared us for the "second part of our lives" - what to do when our children were gone and we were retired. After much prayer and conversations with our children, we decided to dedicate ourselves to working with children in the Balkans. Early Camp to Kids Activity: From the time "TWI" started it's first projects, there has been no stopping our work in Bosnia. Our first request for help came from the director of the orphanage in Zenica. We were asked to do something to bring back the childhood the children had lost because of the war. In 1997 we worked with about 140 children at the orphanage in Zenica and over 300 children at the school in Gradacac. AND, there were only five volunteers on our first team - plus four Bosnian team members. As you can imagine, we were overwhelmed! But the children loved us and the caretakers in the orphanage and the school teachers helped us in our work. As we met with the directors of the orphanage and school after each camp, we discussed how to best help the children in the future. Expectations: We have spent the past ten years partnering with adults in Bosnia who have dedicated their lives to helping these precious children - teaching them to understand that love is needed. The kids are longing for people to love them. "TWI for the Children" feeds those children who are hungry; donates clothing to those who don't have proper clothes; and, we love each child with unconditional love - not thinking about who they are: Orthodox Christian Serb, Muslim Bosniaks, Catholic Croat, or a child from a mixed marriage. Our work plays an important part in their lives. We come to them with no bias and we give them our unconditional love. Other TWI for the Children Projects From these early days in 1996, TWI has grown into an organization that includes projects we never even thought about back then -- but each project deals in some manner with children. Look at our web site (www.twi4kids.org) and you will see that we also support the following projects: International Studies: The International Studies Project: (1) brings university aged students to America for short-term internship programs; (2) takes American instructors to universities in Bosnia; (3) takes American university students to provide educational support to orphanages in Bosnia and in Montenegro; and (4) provides scholarships to deserving Balkan students. Special Needs Children: We take disabled children from Sarajevo and their families to a retreat in the mountains each summer. If funds are not available for this weekend event, we sponsor a "Day in the Park" for these wonderful people. TWI is helping to advise and fund a "Learning Center for Special Needs Children" in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. This Center works with children with special needs to help them adjust to normal life in the community. Day in the Park: As frequently as possible, the families of the children with special needs gather for a day in the park or at a restaurant. This allows the children to learn how to react in a public place and to show the public that disabled children are no different from them. This time together is also a period in which the families share common problems and work together to solve their problem. Training Workshops: The TWI Training Workshops first started as educational workshops for caretakers in orphanages. Out workshops have become an important part of our work in the Balkans. We now take these workshops to selected cities and towns throughout Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Albania, Serbia and Montenegro. The workshops are designed to meet the needs of caretakers, teachers, mental health providers, and others who work with children. We focus on the subjects of: anger management, drug abuse, learning disorders, attention deficit disorders, and stress among the caretakers and teachers working with at risk children. Our objective is to train the educator to teach others about these subjects. As I bring this message to a close, let me take this opportunity to thank each one of you for taking time from your busy life to join us and most of all for coming with us at a time when our dollar is so depressed against the Euro. We are so pleased that you are joining our work and pray that your expectations will be met. We know that you will be blessed by working with these wonderful children. Just remember: "All blessings are temporary so it is best to hold them in open hands. You can't enjoy a blessing held in a clinched fist." "God removes one blessing only to place another in its place". Our projects are becoming increasingly more expensive. Please help by sending your tax-deductible contribution to TWI for the Children. You can now contribute by credit card. Donate now by credit card to help the TWI Program. updated:03/01/2008