Mission Statement

BARF was formed after Neil and Simon Newitt took their Land Rover on an aid convoy in December 1997 to Bosnia with an organisation called "W A T C H" . However, this group were so disorganised and incompetent that the trip was a complete failure. They were so horrified by what they saw down there that they decided they wanted to do as much as they could to help these people get back on their feet. They decided to set up a new charity, B A R F, on their return, in order to do the job properly. Since December 1998 we have organised 20 convoys delivering hundreds of tons of desperately needed humanitarian aid. All participants in our convoys not only donate their time and their vehicles free of charge but they all contribute to the funding of the convoys.

B A R F's February 2006 Team - parked up in the Black Forest near Munich on the way home. This is a traditional stop where we have an excellent dinner - and a few beers to celebrate the completion of another successful convoy

Despite having no external funding, BARF has supplied over 300 tons of aid since 1998. This has enabled us to help a number of schools, 1 Vocational Training College and 3 hospitals and clinics. As well as supplying clothing, shoes, water carriers and other basic necessities to destitute families in this country. All of this aid was sourced through appeals, begging and scrounging in our spare time.

BARF is not a front line relief agency but focuses on sourcing and supplying equipment for schools, colleges, and various children's organisations. Since January 2006, with the advent of new laws, we are no longer permitted to import any kind of medical equipment and, thus, can no longer assist hospitals, clinics, surgeries etc. With an unemployment rate of in excess of 50% and little industry the Bosnian government has little tax revenue to plough back into the country and so the educational and medical sectors are almost entirely dependent on outside help to rebuild them.

BARF worked with SFOR in Bosnia until December 2004:

However, from 1st December 2004, the European Union (EU) took over from the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (N A T O) and the force is now known as EUFOR.

The British contingent of EUFOR was finally withdrawn in March 2007 - this is excellent news for the people of Bosnia Herzegovina in that it means that the country is accepted as stable and continuing to improve - however, from the BARF point of view, it means that we no longer will have the privilege of being accommodated in the Banja Luka Metal Factory. We have been able to use this facility since 2001 and have been made welcome by a wide variety of British regiments over the years. The Trustees conducted some research into alternative accommodation during the February 2007 convoy and have found somewhere safe and secure in an hotel in Banja Luka. This will be utilised for the first time by the October 2007 convoy.

Though Bosnia is no longer in the news the country has moved forward little in the ten years since the war ended. With most of the international aid agencies having departed, there is now little being done in Bosnia. Though their need for outside help remains as urgent as ever. The country has 50% unemployment and the average monthly salary of those who are lucky enough to work is just €250 euros (approximately £175.00). - Source: World Bank statistics for 2004. There is no welfare or social support system. Farming, once the an important mainstay of the Bosnian economy, is now virtually impossible as there are still over 1.4 million unexploded landmine's lying in the ground and money has dried up so mine clearance is now a low priority. It is said that Bosnia is the most heavily mined country after Cambodia. (For a more detailed report on the mine problem see the report prepared by Genesis and UNICEF (click here)

     Many factories are unable to re-open due to lack of money for investment, many people have to walk several kilometres to find water, and people, especially young children have to walk miles to school. The EUFOR base is in a disused steel manufacturing plant which used to employ around 4,000 people.

     We still have much to do. We are only just scratching the surface. We have little money, just a great deal of enthusiasm, an unrivalled ability to beg and scrounge aid and a small team of people who are highly committed to this work and give enormous amounts of precious spare time to make it happen outside of other work and family commitments.

     If you are an adventurous Land Rover owner and would like to join us on an aid convoy, or if you want to help us raise aid or think you might have some time and skills to offer please contact us on I WANT TO COME TOO . A total of 65 people have participated in our convoys since 1997. The people of Bosnia still need all the help that we can give.

WHAT WE HAVE DONE AND WHAT WE ARE TRYING TO ACHIEVE

The aim of Balkan Aid Relief Foundation is to deliver clothing, footwear, school and educational supplies, computers to schools and colleges. Over the years we have delivered a substantial quantity of medical equipment and consumable supplies. However, on 1st January 2006, the Bosnian Government introduced Value Added Tax which has, somewhat complicated matters. We can no longer import any kind of medical equipment or supplies without being subject to 19% VAT. Each and every item, notwithstanding that it is used, would be evaluated by Customs and we would have to pay 19% of this amount. Obviously this is not practical and means that we can no longer supply any form of medical equipment. This is a great disappointment to BARF and also the many hospitals and clinics we have come to know over the years.

Economic Facts and Figures:-

“High unemployment and a large and growing informal sector remain key challenges in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” said Dirk Reinermann, World Bank Country Manager in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Official unemployment rates have remained stubbornly high - average around 24% - and have even increased for young people. However, the average covers a wide range:-

from 60% + for 15 - 18 years, 45%+ for 20 - 25 years old, down to 15% for over 50's

Source: World Bank - March 2006

We believe that the children of the Balkans are the key to a long term peace and we focus our efforts on them to help rebuild their lives and to give them hope for a better future.

A Brief History of Bosnia

The political, religious and racial unrest in Bosnia goes back over 2500 years and spans the Roman Empire, the Ottoman Empire, the Austro-Hungarian empire and more recently the rise of nationalism and the demise of the communist empire. The former Yugoslavia is made up of six countries - Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzogovina. The present troubles started in 1980 with the death of President Tito, the former partisan leader and communist leader of Yugoslavia. Following his death Slobodan Milosevic of Serbia overthrew Tito's elected successor and made a bid for control of the country. In 1991 Slovenia and Croatia broke away from the stranglehold that Serbia was trying to place over the former Yugoslavia and between 1991 and 1992 a brief war, focusing on the Serbian populated part of Croatia around the town of Knin, took place. In 1992 Croatia and Serbia negotiated a peace deal.

The civil war that destroyed Bosnia was one of the bloodiest and most brutal ever seen in Europe. With the Serbs intent on ethnically cleansing Bosnia of its Muslim population many horrific atrocities were committed as approximately 200,000 innocent people were massacred, towns and villages, once thriving communities, were cleared and houses, shops, hotels and factories were destroyed as the Serbs tried to rid Bosnia of the Muslims. No one side won and all that it achieved was to destroy families, livelihoods and communities and tear the country apart.

War is frightening, but to see the results of civil war, where a country turns in on itself, really is quite horrifying. What made this war worse was that Yugoslavia is a European country, 1500 miles from Britain. To see a European country in which Croatians, Serbs and Bosniacs had integrated, inter married, lived and worked in harmony together, descend into bitter internal conflict has been traumatic. Though superficially Bosnia is at peace it is a fragile peace at best and underneath the fears and effects from the war are still evident. Many people who were cleared from their villages, are still afraid to return to their homes for fear of retribution.

If you would like a more detailed history of Bosnia - try the EUFOR website click here

What is Bosnia like today?

Banja Luka, the second biggest city in Bosnia has changed significantly over the last 9 years that we have been visiting. Whereas we used to have to carry great wads of cash to pay for fuel etc, we can now pay with a UK Debit Card. New houses, shops, hotels and petrol stations are springing up all over the city.

Once you leave the environs of Banja Luka, the country areas are like a relic from a previous century. It is a very common sight to see rough-hewn horse drawn carts drawn by scruffy little ponies and many of the older people still wear traditional Bosnian clothing. It is quite common to see people scything hay manually and building old style hay ricks.

As you drive throughout Bosnia, you pass through many towns and villages that are full of destroyed and gutted buildings., Most of the destroyed road bridges and shell holes in roads and buildings have been repaired. On our latest convoy in February 2008, we saw very encouraging signs of major mine clearance activity near the Bosnian / Croatian border.

The above pictures were taken by Ed Willcox in April 2003

During the massacre at Srebrenica over 8,000 Muslim men were massacred in four days. These are just a small fraction of the hundreds, indeed probably thousands, of atrocities and war crimes that were committed. Nobody knows exactly how many innocent men, women and children were massacred during the war but an unofficial figure puts it at around 200,000. One of the things that strikes you about Bosnia is the huge number of new graveyards.

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