We met with Peter Van Ruysseveldt, the UNDP Deputy Resident Representative and Resident Coordinator, on Tuesday. "If you just look at things and say, 'it's not going to work,' then I might as well pack my suitcase and go home," He followed by saying that you essentially have to look for opportunities in everything. He was talking about trying to find innovative and creative solutions to all of the challenges facing BiH despite its fractured and rather dysfunctional government. Many organizations that we have met with named the dis-harmonization of the government as a hindrance to their work, however, Mr. Van Ruysseveldt didn't feel hindered by the government, because, as he explained he didn't feel obligated to work with them, there were many other people, or "agents of change" in Bosnian society to turn to instead. If the ministries and other political bodies weren't part of that, then so be it. He wasn't going to force them to cooperate, he would find opportunities for change in other areas.
Our group truly appreciated this sentiment. It was a bit refreshing to know work could be done and solutions could be found, even in the absence of a functioning government. We also related this sentiment to our own lives and experiences...and decided that for the rest of the trip, we could either see things in a negative, dismal light or we could find the opportunity, and the optimism in everything. The silver lining, if you will...not to say there will not be moments of disappointment, disbelief or even depression at times due to our experiences here, but we are determined not to let those moments discourage us from being "agents of change" - at least I'm not. This went well with a discussion that my roommate, Michelle, and I had the night before about appreciating the small things in life. We both find joy in a good cup of coffee, a sunny day, and friendly smiles at the market. And so, I'd like to share some of the small delights I had yesterday with you. The first of which, was actually a huge delight: our meeting at the US Embassy.
We started off the day with a visit to the US Embassy to meet with both USAID and the US Mission to BiH. Now to be honest, I have heard a lot of criticisms of USAID and of course the US's involvement in other countries. But, meeting with them first hand, really gave me a positive perception - they really are doing good work in BiH! It seemed like everyone in our group was impressed after that meeting-including our Bosnian participants. And people who previously never thought of working for the government were suddenly saying how they had gained a new respect for them and would maybe even consider checking out jobs in the state department or with USAID. So, they won over our hearts and minds at least.
I especially enjoyed our meeting with USAID. They showed us a short film, which included interviews with actual participants of their programs - which was a stark difference from some our previous meetings of powerpoints, numbers and statistics. Others have claimed that they do awesome work, but I was always left wanting to hear from actual participants in their programs. USAID was the first organization that had concrete examples instead of vague statements to explain their programs. In fact, one of their programs especially impressed me - it was a landscaping project, which looked like a community garden, being used in Srebrenica to promote reconciliation. And it was implemented through the Srebrenica Dialogue Center. The representatives of USAID explained how there has been a shift in their work in recent years and that they are now focusing on partnering with local NGOs to implement projects, so that they can be sure they are projects that truly benefit the community and also projects that the communities take ownership of. Using community gardens as a means of peacebuilding and reconciliation is something that I have been fascinated by since hearing about the P-Patch Gardens in Seattle, Washington. But when I tried to pose a question regarding agricultural as a means towards peace in a previous meeting, I was told that agriculture is not an important area to invest in, since people are constantly moving into urban areas...I was therefore even more delighted when I saw that project in the film.
In addition, we met with the US Embassy's Cultural Affairs Officer - who was from Wisconsin! He told us about programs that he runs, which uses culture - such as the arts, sports and such, to bring people together here in BiH. And in fact, when he found out that I will be spending 9 months in Sanksi Most, he told us about how he organized a country-wide spelling bee (in English), and the winner was a 9 year old from Sanksi Most! So, there were jokes of CIM (the Center for Peacebuilding) hosting spelling bees with the US Embassy in the future - but who knows, it could happen! We also met with the Deputy Chief of Mission, Jonathan Moore, who talked to us about everything from having a relationship and social life while in the field of Foreign Service to his experience as a desk officer for the Yugoslavia Office in DC during the war. It was truly quite a morning!
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