MFP
Bosnian Children's Project
On
May 24, 1992, the Serb Army and paramilitary troops invaded
Kozarac, a village of 27,000 Moslems on the outskirts of the city
of Prijador in northwest Bosnia.
Approximately 5000 Moslem civilians were murdered in the takeover
of the town, including all educated persons and community leaders.
The remaining citizens were herded
into the nearby concentration camps at Kerentern, Trnoplje
and the infamous death camp at Omarska. Kozarac was
then burned to the ground. The onslaught of Prijador would become
the blueprint for the Serb "ethnic cleansing" of the rest
of Bosnia. In 1999, survivors of the ethnic cleansing of Kozarac
beagn to return to what remained of their town, which was now in
the Republika Srpska, the Serb controlled part of Bosnia.
The
Children of Kozarac
In 1997, MFP conducted a comprehensive survey to
assess the medical and psychological sequella of ethnic
cleansing on the survivors of Kozarac. The study documented the
horrible human rights abuses suffered by
the people of Kozarac. The information was made available to the
International War Crimes Tribunal.
The medical team found a high frequency of incapacitating psychological
and emotional problems, particularly among
children. These deeply traumatized children were found to be fearful,
withdrawn and exhibited a multitude of eating, sleeping and behavioral
problems. Many adolescents manifested anti-social behavior and were
prone to violence. Most children had memory problems, impaired concentration
and performed poorly in school. The MFP project in Kozarac is a
response to these disturbing findings and will be a significant
factor in the recovery of the large number of traumatized children
in Bosnia.
The
MFP Children's Project
The primary goals
of the project are to identify and treat
children in need of immediate medical and psychiatric help
and to develop a nurturing and supportive environment to
prevent future problems for refugee children.
The refugee child's world is one of turbulence, violence and
uncertainty. The central focus of our program is the elementary
school in Kozarac. The school is an island
of calm and normality- a link to the child's pre-war life. In
addition to teaching basic reading and writing skills, it provides
what is missing in these children's lives: structure,
activities, expanded social interactions and an opportunity
to succeed. Of critical importance, the school ethic is one
of non-violence and tolerance, the only path out of the
morass of present day Bosnia.
MFP pediatricians,
psychiatrists, and social workers, from the U.S. and Bosnia, carefully
supervise MFP local health promoters. The various aspects of the
program (play therapy, athletics, academic remediation, nutrition,
medical and psychiatric treatment) have a single purpose: to rescue
a whole generation of Bosnian children so they will be able to
lead self-sufficient and fulfilling lives.
MFP volunteers with our Bosnian partners,
the
Kozarac Woman's Organization (IZVOR).
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