College education for 10 talented students in BiH

BOSANA FOUNDATION

Scholarship and Professional Development Program

Quarterly Report October - December 2022

Executive Summary:

It is hard to believe that we are well into the new year. We hope you are energized and ready to welcome more learning opportunities, growth and positivity. The end of the year brings reflection and new plans for the future. I am so proud of what our students have been able to accomplish in 2022. Through it all, we have valued the support of the Bosana community. We are immeasurably grateful to our donors and volunteers. Your contribution makes it possible for us to continue our important work. As always, you can check out our website and social media platforms for more information about programs.

Students and Program Update:

Last quarter of the year is a bit quiet when it comes to exams. Classes are winding down and students get a little break for the holidays, before the official exam season starts. Nevertheless, there has been plenty of activity for our students pertaining to volunteering and professional development. We are thrilled to share all these exciting news about our students. 

Highlights of the quarter: 

Irma, joined the Bosana Scholarship Program in October, and is currently a first-year student at the School of Medicine in Tuzla. In September, Irma was nominated for the Big Bang Generation Heroes competition in the Civic Activism category. The Big Bang Challenge project is a platform that recognizes new leaders among young people. Big Bang GENERATION is a new generation of young leaders who achieve results but also inspire others to take the path of development and progress.

KAS Rule of Law Program South East Europe and the Association of Lawyers work on the promotion of transitional justice and the democratic development of the countries of Southeastern Europe. Suncica, Bosana’s MA student, had the opportunity to be part of a great team and contribute to the implementation of the 16th International Summer School, regarding the topic: "The Role of Transitional Justice Today: What Lesson Can Be Drawn to Prevent Future Conflicts and to Assist Societies After Conflict."

Šerifa completed her studies and obtained a master's degree from the University of Tuzla School of Mining, Geology and Civil Engineering in December. She also received an award from the town of Kladanj, The Best Student of Her Municipality for the Academic Year 2021/2022. The award was presented by the municipal mayor.

llma, attended the International 30th Danubian Psychiatric Symposium, which was held in Tuzla. The symposium lasted three days, during which time Ilma learned about the latest happenings in the field of psychiatry.

At the 48th anniversary of the University of Sarajevo, School of Pharmacy, Sumeja was ranked as one of the best students of her generation. She received Dean's recognition for her academic achievements. Criteria for the best students in each academic year were based on their overall grade point average. It is equally important to pass each academic year without transfer of any subjects/classes. It is also significant to emphasize that this is the second year in a row for Sumeja to receive this award.

Anida is a second-year student, studying pharmacy at the University of Sarajevo. We are proud to share that she also received an award for her academic achievements. Anida was recognized as one of the top 5 students in her class, thanks to her grade point average.

Majra , currently a third year student at the University of Tuzla, School of Electrical Engineering, attended the Futures Leaders Summit. Majra is majoring in technical education and informatics. Topic of this year’s summit was "Rethinking the Present. Reimagining The Future." Majra pointed out that it was beneficial to learn more about changing approaches to global challenges, STEM and utilizing your network.

In December, Sreten participated in an ERASMUS training course called "Collaboration and Cooperation for Youth" in Silivri, Istanbul, Turkey. Participants in this training were from North Macedonia, Denmark, Turkey, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. "The first Erasmus+ project was a fantastic experience! During the training, I learned a lot of new things about writing projects, new cultures and EU opportunities for youth. ,,BRAVO“ was a partner organization from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Ismail Šehic was a lecturer during the course.", said Sreten.

Suncica was busy during the month of December as well, attending the Regional Peacebuilding Academy. Regional Youth Partnerships gathered 57 #WByouth representatives from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, and Serbia. During the 6 days in Podgorica, youth leaders with different backgrounds such as politics, civil society, sports, arts, academia, and business, engaged in a series of activities to establish a regional youth network. They worked together and shared knowledge to achieve their mutual goal - to make the region a better place! The participants had the opportunity to see from different angles the necessary conditions for all three foundations of human rights - freedom, justice and peace.

Exciting news about Bosana’s former students:

Our alumni student Benjamin is a teaching assistant at the University of Tuzla and he constantly works on his professional development. After participating in the training event in Sweden, Benjamin went to Bulgaria. New Bulgarian University hosted the final event and International Conference on Social and Emotional Skills in Early Childhood Education and Care in Europe, where Benjamin talked about Mindfulness and Peace Learning in a Montessori classroom. Gathering people from Sweden, Belgium, Bulgaria, Hungary, Portugal and Bosnia and Herzegovina, this was the final activity within the Erasmus+ project EU-SELF: Social and Emotional Skills Development in Early Childhood Education and Care in Europe.

Mediha, our alumni student, decided to address the state of pediatric oral health in BiH. She organized education on the topic "How to save milk teeth?" The education is designed to inform parents about the proper growth and development of milk teeth, the consequences of their early loss, and the selection of adequate means for their care, including a demonstration of the application of those means.

Another inspiring story comes from Tuzla. Ildijana belongs to the third generation of Bosana students. After graduating in 2017, she got married and had a child, and for 2 years was unable to get the opportunity to do the internship necessary for her to get a job in her profession. This is exactly where the project "Women Empowerment for Former Bosana Students" comes into play! Through the GlobalGiving platform, and the project "Women Empowerment for Former Bosana Students", we managed to fundraise resources to help Ildijana and 4 other students. "As a former recipient of the Bosana scholarship, I had incredible experiences and met many friends with whom I am still in contact today. Throughout my studies, Bosana Foundation was my support, which meant a lot to me, otherwise I probably wouldn't have finished it. However, when I finished my studies, I thought that I would still work in a store and that everything was in vain. I had the wind at my back that Bosana would accompany my training and help me there, to finish what I started. I think that was my turning point for the success I'm enjoying now. So, thanks to Bosana, I didn't lack anything to become what I am today. Today I work as a clerk in the student service. Thank you Bosana for all the support and money you invested in my education and for the selfless support you still provide. I am honored to be part of the Bosana family," said Ildijana.

BOSANA FOUNDATION

Scholarship and Personal Development Program

Quarterly Report

July - September 2022

Executive Summary:

Welcome to our October issue! Third quarter of the year is the time of summer vacations as well as the beginning of a new academic year. Bosana students continued volunteering throughout the summer, some travelled, while some completed their internships. Bosana Team Building happened in August, which helped to energize our students and prepare them for the fall exam season. We are happy to share news about our new graduates and a group of new scholarship recipients.

Remember to check out our website and social media for any new developments.

Students and Program Update:

This is the beginning of a new academic year after summer vacation. Students are rested and ready for a new academic year and new successes. We have graduates, students who are starting their exchange programs, new interns and a group of new scholarship recipients.

This year Bosana welcomed eleven (11) new scholarship recipients from different parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina. We will share more details about the new group students in our next report.

Highlights of the quarter:

We are thrilled to share all these inspiring news about our students:

Suncica - Best Student of the Year Award! In an effort to promote student excellence, every year, the Bosana Foundation honors one student with our Best Student of the Year award. Students are awarded based on their academic performance, participation in workshops or events and any other volunteering activities. And this year, a big congratulations goes out to Suncica! Suncica obtained a degree at the School of Political Sciences, Department of Security and Peace Studies, University of Sarajevo. She is also a peer educator focused on sustainable peacebuilding within transitional and fragile states. Suncica has been working on projects focused on youth engagement in human rights and peace education processes.

"Based on a competitive selection process, I was chosen as one of six students to represent the University of Sarajevo on behalf of the Faculty of Political Science during the InPeace Intensive Course 'People, Communities, and Cities in Peacebuilding' at the University of Iceland in Reykjavik. Höfði Reykjavík Peace Center has organized this one-week intensive academic course in peace and conflict studies in cooperation with partner universities, Tampere University, UiT- The Arctic University of Norway, the University of Basque Country (UPV / EHU), and the University of Sarajevo, from the 30th of May until the 5th of July.” Said Suncica, about her exchange in Island. Suncica also attended the BOLD Fellowship Academic Program, Nebraska, Omaha, Civic Engagement Center in August.

•  Bosana's student Sava graduated from the Medical School at the University of East Sarajevo. But being Sava that could not have been all! With a grade point average of 9.70, Sava is one of the best students of his generation, and he also became the youngest Doctor of Medicine in RS, B&H. "The Bosana Foundation left a big role in my education. From the very beginning, I had every kind of material and moral support, understanding and friendly cooperation. After finishing my studies, I got a job interview and will start working soon. I also had an opportunity to meet with the mayor, which was a great honor and pleasure for me," said Sava.

• Aleksandra also completed her Bachelor studies at the University of Banja Luka, School of Mathematics and Informatics. "Another chapter of my life has ended and I am very proud and happy about that. My wish came true and after graduating I got a job at a software company, where I was welcomed by the wonderful team I work with. This is a job where I can improve and progress, and that was my goal. My Bosana family played a big role in this, who were there when needed, not only financially but also as moral support, someone who was always by my side. Thank you Bosana!" said Aleksandra.

• The "Summer School of Resuscitation" was held in Tuzla under the auspices of the European Resuscitation Council. Our student Ilma was one of the participants and became a certified Basic Life Support (BLS) Provider.

• In July, our scholarship recipient Sumeja went to Slovenia to participate in The International Pharmaceutical Summer Camp. IPSC is a six-day event organized by the Slovenian Pharmacy Students' Association. The camp took place in Libeliška Gora.

• The Red Cross of the Federation of BiH organized a traditional "Guardians of Humanity" youth camp at Boracko Lake. The camp lasted six days, and this year, special attention was paid to crises and climate change, as a result of frequent natural disasters and the impact on the health of individuals and communities. As a volunteer of Red Cross New Sarajevo, our student Belma participated in this camp.

• Mustafa graduated from the University of Sarajevo with a grade point average of 9.13. As one of the most successful students, Mustafa will receive a special award: the Silver Badge from the University of Sarajevo. Now as a Bachelor of Psychology, his next step will be Master's education.

• Bosana Foundation proudly reports that our student and monthly donor Matea has completed her M.A. degree from the University Dzemal Bijedic in Mostar. She pursued a Master of Communication studies in 2017/2018, and since then has been employed in her vocation, as well as developed her business at the same time. You also had an opportunity to meet her at our Annual Benefit in Los Angeles back in 2020.

• Fatima was part of the group of young people who spent their school break organizing a summer camp. This project brought together 50 young people ages 13-17 in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Project "M.R.E.Z.A. '22," where our student Fatima volunteers, created some amazing memories for the youth interested in history, survival, self-confidence and empowerment.

• At the end of July, the XII International Scientific and Research Camp "NP Una 2022" was held by the Association of Biology Students in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The aim of the camp was to explore the biodiversity of the Una National Park. The camp brought together 60 participants, current and future young researchers with different social backgrounds. Participants of the seven-day camp carried out field research in the fields of botany, herpetology, chiropterology, ornithology, mycology and large carnivores. Through such research, students have had the opportunity, with the support of mentors, to use various biological tools, keys for the determination of species, manuals and to apply biological methods that will be used in a future scientific research career. Our student Jovana was a participant in the camp.

• Dia graduated from the School of Philosophy, University of Sarajevo, and obtained her B.A. in Psychology. Dia was also accepte into ERASMUS exchange program for fall semester 2022/23.

• Enesa has completed her Bachelor's studies at the University of Sarajevo, School of Electrical Engineering in September. She plans to continue her education and start her Master’s program.

• Lejla was selected for a 2022/23 Chevening scholarship of the "British Foreign and Commonwealth Office" in Great Britain. Lejla will spend the next year in Great Britain on a one-year master's course and study at the prestigious Nottingham University at the Department of Youth Work and Leadership. Chevening offers fully funded scholarships and fellowships to individuals with ideas to create positive change, funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and partner organizations.

• Sreten, a second-year student at the School of Agriculture in East Sarajevo - Forestry study program, participated in the International Student Summit of Food, Agriculture and Environment. On the first day of the summit, he presented a paper on the topic: "Activity of Young People in Afforestation in Bosnia and Herzegovina," under the leadership of mentor Stefan Stejpanovic, Ph.D. The international summit was under the auspices of the University of Agriculture in Tokyo, and 59 students from 29 universities and 27 countries took part in it. The summit took place online and lasted for two days.

And last but not least, Bosana Team Building Konjic

Every year Bosana students cannot wait for the summer to meet their friends from different towns and cities. This year, we had a fantastic team building in the beautiful town of Konjic. We enjoyed a day of rafting on the Neretva River, hiking on a nearby mountain, boat ride on the Jablanicko lake and a fun evening in Konjic. The highlight of the trip was Tito's Nuclear Bunker. Most of the students never had a chance to visit this historic attraction. The bunker, named Ark, is located underground and it is one of the most preserved monuments from former Yugoslavia. One section of the bunker is reserved for an art gallery. It was exciting to find out that one of the art installations belongs to Bosana’s former student Selma. Naturally, we all had to take a photo to remember this moment. It was amazing to see more than 20 of students and Bosana staff from all over Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was a successful team building event and we are very happy to share a few photos with you.

Exciting news about Bosana’s former students:

Anela is a former scholarship recipient of the Bosana Foundation, who is known to the public as the person who opened the first center for genetic counseling in Bosnia and Herzegovina - Genetika.

This summer, at the organization, Genetic Counseling Center Genetika, as part of the "Days of BHAAAS in BiH" (Bosnian-Herzegovinian American Academy of Arts and Sciences), a symposium titled "Genetic testing" was held. During those days, precisely thanks to Anela, Sarajevo was a center of science, personalized medicine, and targeted therapy. They talked about the latest approaches and use of genetics and genetic testing.

For the past year, working together with colleagues, Anela has also participated in writing the first general guidelines for breast cancer management in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Those guidelines were published in BJBMS (The Bosnian Journal Of Basic Medical Sciences).

At the beginning of September, Anela was a lecturer for the "Genetics of Breast Cancer in Young Women".

Students for HUmanity project update: 

"Students for Humanity" project has been active for six years now. Bosana students each month put aside 2KM that Bosana also matches. Current students and alumni students alike continue to contribute to this project so the impact is very significant.

 In this quarter, students carried out three different humanitarian projects.

• In August, students were helping one of their own to pay for firewood, since the apartment where she lives requires tenants to buy firewood. Heating costs have gone up in general, but it is even harder when you have to pay for the firewood for the entire winter.
• The Request to cover the cost of the educational certificate and exam came from a young girl, who could not go to school but had to work to help her family. She realized that in her community there was no option for madeira therapy and
• Students also used 500KM to cover food, hygiene products and school supplies for a young girl who was placed in a safe house with her mother and a sibling.

BOSANA FOUNDATION

Scholarship and Personal Development Program

Quarterly Report

April - June 2022

Executive Summary:

Welcome to our July issue! We are busy getting geared up for the summer and all the opportunities it will bring. Bosana students completed their classes and now are in the midst of final exam season. BAPA & Bosana scholarship recipients have been announced. In May, Bosana sponsored BH Diasporic Conference 2022, an annual event that connects attendees from 81 cities, 25 state, and 6 countries. This year’s theme was reUNITED: Revitalizing Solidarity within the BiH Diaspora.

Remember to check out our website and social media for any new developments.

Students and Program Update:

The academic year is slowly coming to an end and our students are finishing up assignments. The exam season is in full swing, since the majority of exams take place in June and July. Students are reporting good results thus far; however, many are still waiting to either get the results or take the exams.

Highlights of the quarter:

We are thrilled to share all these inspiring news about our students: 

• Matea attended the Bosana Annual event in 2020, just before the pandemic started. At that point she was finishing her final project and we are very excited to report that she graduated and received her MA in April this year.
• Pelka had a great opportunity to learn, travel and meet new people on a study visit to Budapest in March. Pelka studies special education and rehabilitation at the University of Tuzla and through this visit she was able to learn more about European practices in this field. During this visit she toured educational institutions in Budapest, attended various workshops for the early adaptations of children to kindergarten, met experts and learned about methods which will be beneficial for her future calling.
• In May, our student and part-time coordinator at Bosana, Lejla Mušanovic, participated in a training on behalf of Humanity in Action Bosnia and Herzegovina and financed by International Visegrad Fund entitled, "Improving the skills of NGOs/CSOs in the Western Balkans and Moldova." This training was held at the Hollywood Hotel in Sarajevo, and participants listened to material pertaining to these topics: Project Management, Event Management, Financial Management, Advocacy and Stakeholders. This training helped Lejla professionally, empowering her to implement even greater changes in her community.
• This year, for Bosana students who are in their final year of study, we organized our annual workshop called, "Kickstart Your Career," led by our Aida. Four students practiced how to prepare their CVs and cover letters for potential jobs. They had the opportunity to practice presentation skills and learn the basics of project management. With these workshops, we prepare our students so that they can apply for jobs more easily after studies. The workshops have proven successful every year as most students manage to find a job right after college. We would also like to thank the Youth for Peace organization for their cooperation and giving us the space for our workshops. Everything is possible when working together!
• Nejra was selected to be a member of a group of young people involved in the "Reader's Badge" project. The project is created in such a way that members in the book club read notable domestic and world titles, thus spreading the culture of reading. Through this project Nejra met the famous writer Abdullah Sidran.
• Sumeja, a third-year student at the School of Pharmacy in Sarajevo and our scholarship recipient, participated in the XIV Symposium of Masters of Pharmacy in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The symposium is one of the largest events for masters of pharmacy in B&H. Over 900 masters of pharmacy were present  and Sumeja’s team task was to present the 'My Pharma Space' application to all participants.
• In June, our student Sedin visited a former Nuclear Power Plant in Greifswald, Germany. Greifswald Nuclear Power Plant had almost been completed in 1990 but the decision was made to decommission it. It offers a unique opportunity to view a Russian-designed nuclear power plant. The tour gives additional information on topics such as nuclear energy, dismantling, final storage, and radiation protection.
• The Center for Karst and Speleology is an NGO that is currently divided into three sections: one dealing with physical speleology, the other with biospeleology, and the third with heritage research on karst. One of the activities carried out regularly is bat biomonitoring. Our student Jovana had the opportunity to participate in one of these biomonitoring activities in Capljina, B&H.

Exciting news about Bosana’s former students:

Our alumni Amar decided to pursue a master's degree in Youth Welfare Services at the Münster University of Applied Sciences. The Konrad Adenauer Foundation awarded him with a full scholarship! Amar also works for the Y.M.C.A. as a youth worker in the suburbs of Münster. He leads the activities in a youth center.Y.M.C.A. is one of the world's biggest youth organizations and also one of the leading youth service providers in Germany.

"Students for Humanity" project has been active for six years now. Bosana students each month put aside 2KM that Bosana also matches. Current students and alumni students alike continue to contribute to this project so the impact is very significant.

In May this year, Bosana students covered housing expenses for a student from Zenica. Anes could not cover the cost of his dorm room in Sarajevo, so our students stepped in to help in the final stretch of the semester.

In June, another student fell on hard times and she needed help paying for her bus ticket to Tuzla in order to attend her exams. Emina received her funds and was able to pay for her ticket.

BOSANA FOUNDATION

Scholarship and Personal Development Program

Quarterly Report

January - March 2022

Executive Summary:

This is a new year and new beginnings for Bosana. We have started this year with a new partnership between BAPA Bosnian-American Professionals Association. In the seventh year of awarding scholarships to high achieving Bosnian-American students who are actively involved in their respective communities, besides three BAPA scholarships, they will also offer one sponsored by Bosana Foundation.  We have started After School workshops in Sarajevo this year, after successfully implementing the same programs in Zenica and Tuzla. Academic life is slowly going back to normal and our students are using this opportunity to work on their education as well as professional development.

Remember to check out our website and social media for any new developments.

Students and Program Update:

January and February are generally busy for our students, due to midterms and final exams for the fall semester. The results were very good for the most part and they have started their spring semester in good spirits.  Students have embraced coming back to in-person examination and they are much happier with this option.

At the beginning of the year, I visited Bihac to grab some coffee with our students. Since we have not had any students' gatherings in the past two years, these small group coffee sessions are always super exciting for our students. We don’t have many students in Bihac but I was able to see some recent graduates as well. Denis graduated two years ago, and Aida graduated last year. I have also met Sandra, who is currently studying law, and Sedin who is finishing up with his exams and getting ready to start his final project.  I have missed meeting our students in person and hope to have more opportunities this year.

Highlights of the quarter:

We are thrilled to share all these inspiring news about our students: 

- Nadja attend our Annual Benefit in Los Angeles back in 2013. Now, we are very proud to report that after some hiatus, getting married and having a baby, Nadja has also completed her M.A. degree.Nadja was also part of our Vocational Program where she worked closely with our "Kick Start Your Career" instructor Aida to help her with job applications and Nadja has found a job back in the spring of last year.

- On behalf of the Association of Biology Students from Sarajevo, our student Jovana participated as a panelist at a conference "Quo Vadis Academia?" organized by the Homework Hub on the occasion of the International Education Day. Panel discussed important topics of education in BIH, particularly looking at whether poor educational systems are the cause of the massive brain drain in BIH and what are the potential solutions. The panel lasted three-hours where students exchanged experiences and ideas while all participants took an active part in also sharing their own experiences and thoughts on this topic.

- Sreten, one of our students, won the award for success he achieved in the last academic year. Sreten is, on average, the best student in the first year of the Forestry Study Program at the School of Agriculture in East Sarajevo. His grade point average was 9.20 after his first year. In addition to success in teaching activities, he also participated in various projects that were helpful to his local community, as well as in projects within the student council of his school.

- The leader and organizer of After School workshops in Sarajevo, is Bosana scholarship recipient Bilal, who also grew up in the orphanage in Sarajevo, and now provides help and support through nonprofit organization that he started with a group of students. In the previous couple of months, we received information from Bilal that there were several workshops they worked on, including educational workshops for volunteers, instructional classes in mathematics and English, cooking workshops, and creative workshops. What we are most proud of is that through these workshops, BOSANA students are networking, and they have the opportunity to volunteer and secure a volunteer place through this project.

 - Every year we have students who are part of the Erasmus Exchange. Sanel was in Lleida, Spain during the fall semester and this is what he had to say: “ Easily the best thing that has come out of this exchange is the Master's degree subjects. The subjects are self-directed and stress-free, no exams, just a project that we work on the whole semester. . .I have visited Andorra and Barcelona and I plan to visit more cities in the future. I love the change, and this was a very welcoming one. Despite that, there are also things that I miss in Bosnia, and I look forward to coming back in February.”

 - A full-time student at the Faculty of Political Science University of Sarajevo Suncica started her Erasmus + Exchange at Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland at the Faculty of International and Political Studies, Center for International Studies and Development / ISDUU. The exchange lasts from 28.02. to 29.06.2022. and she is doing her Master's thesis as well as attending three courses related to her MA thesis.

Exciting news about Bosana’s former students:

- On February 11, the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, BOSANA students celebrate in the most beautiful way possible, by donating, just as you donate and invest in their education.Our former scholarship recipients, MA of genetics from Bihac and Gorazde, Anela and Denis decided to pay 50 KM each for two students who contributed to science and their communities last year with their hard work, commitment and activities. 4 students were elected based on their hard work and their activities. The students are Suncica, Sumeja, Sandra and Jovana. These are the most active students and students with the highest grades. They have expressed their immense gratitude to Denis and Anela, and we are also proud providing such a wonderful example to other students and remembering BOSANA.

- We are happy to share that our student Adnan has started a new position as System Engineer at BS Telecom Solutions! He finished Electrical Engineering at the University of Sarajevo Department for Automatic Control and Electronics. Last month, Adnan took the opportunity to express his ideas and talent and he will manage our social networks from now on.

Additional activities

 The Bosana Foundation, in cooperation with the Psychology Student Association from Sarajevo 'Sinapsa,' organized a workshop on "How to Love Yourself" at the HUB Homework in Sarajevo on March 13th.

This two-hour workshop was a refreshment for Bosana students who are in Sarajevo, because after a period when they did not have any live activities because of COVID-19, they had the chance to socialize and get to know each other. Students had the opportunity to hear an interesting lecture by an MA student and member of the 'Sinapsa' Dzenana. The topics she covered were our relationship with ourselves and other people, and the gratitude that we often forget to have. They also got to share some experiences dealing with human relationships, and discussed how to navigate certain situations in life. We also had two online workshops in March, which tackled the topics of depression and toxic relationships. We are confident that these were very useful topics and workshops for our students, since in all three, 30 of our students all around BiH participated. We are looking forward to more educational workshops we will organize in the future.

"Students for Humanity" project has been active for six years now. Bosana students each month put aside 2KM that Bosana also matches. Current students and alumni students alike continue to contribute to this project so the impact is very significant.

During the month of March, our students had four separate humanitarian actions all across Bosnia and Herzegovina to help those in need.

 The first donation was paid out to a student from Zenica who personally sent a request for support during his studies for the first semester that the student fund financed and now we continue our support for the second. Travel expenses and food for March and books for the entire semester were covered by the donor in the amount of 163 KM. Travel expenses from April to June were covered by funds paid from the Students for Humanity Student Project Fund in the amount of 250 KM.          

The second donation was to provide support to our former scholarship recipient who wanted to attend an online Fitness Academy with one of the most famous fitness trainers in the region. With this course, our former student will learn not only how to create personalized fitness classes but also meals and to create business packages that would be profitable. This full course is a great advancement for our student who finished Physical Education at the University of Mostar, Faculty of Science and Education. He managed to raise some of the money himself but needed additional funds so we supported him with money from the Fund in the amount of 200 BAM.

For the third donation, one of our current students wrote to us with a request to cover the costs of transportation of students with disabilities who attend the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of East Sarajevo. 200 BAM was allocated from the Fund for this action.

Former Bosana scholarship recipient is currently living at home without any income. She sent a personal request for support in covering basic expenses, groceries, and utilities to our current students. 300 KM was paid out from the Fund as the fourth donation in this quarter.

BOSANA FOUNDATION

Scholarship and Personal Development Program

Quarterly Report

October-December 2021

Executive Summary:

Happy New Year and welcome 2022! We are enormously grateful to our supporters who stood by us through this difficult year and enabled us to continue implementation of our projects. Your support allowed us to accept new students into our Scholarship Program. We have also raised enough funds to cover the costs of our After-school program in Tuzla for 2022, and in January we will extend our After-school program to also provide support at the Bjelave orphanage in Sarajevo.Thank you to everyone who has supported our projects over the years. Help us make 2022 an amazing year. Follow us on social media and keep an eye on our website for all the inspiring mini endeavors coming this year.

Students and Program Update:

The last quarter of the year is always a bit slower than the rest of the year. Students have started their classes in October and they are learning new materials while preparing for their midterms. Universities are still deciding on how to proceed with the school year, should the classes be in the classrooms, online or hybrids. The fall semester started mostly in classrooms, only a few programs opted for remote version. Bosana students were happy to be in the classrooms since they missed in-person lectures, however, it doesn’t mean that the classes will continue this way due to changing rules and regulations.

Despite the slow few months on the academic front, we still have a few noteworthy news about our students. In this newsletter we are highlighting the impact of the Scholarship Program and the deserving students that you support.

Highlights of the quarter:

We are thrilled to share all these inspiring news about our students: 

- Adnan graduated from the University of Electrical Engineering in Sarajevo, Department of Automatic Control and Electronics. Adnan first joined us as our Professional Development student for a year and soon after he joined the rest of our students as our scholarship recipient. While in his last college semester, Adnan took part in a work-study program in Germany from which he just returned and he has promised to share his experience in our students' blog.

- In November we organized an informational session for our new Bosana students to convey our expectations and how we can work together so that they can achieve the best results possible. The goal of the online meeting was to introduce them all to the Foundation, as well as the scholarship program and the Students for Humanity project so that they can also see how they can impact other students' lives. Students also had the opportunity to get to know each other and tell us also more about the organizations where they volunteer.

- In December a couple of our students received laptops to help them work on their academic tasks. Suncica is finishing her M.A. degree in political science and she is also the project coordinator for Bosana's "Students for Humanity" project so that laptop will be most handy.

- Irma is our third year student at the University of Political Science in Sarajevo. Her laptop "retired" in the midst of her exam season so we were happy to have been able to come to the rescue with a new laptop so she can complete her exams and assignments to finish her semester.

- To commemorate the day that marks the anniversary of the University of Pharmacy in Sarajevo, a special ceremony was organized by the head of faculty. At the event, many acknowledgments were celebrated and awarded to individuals and organizations that have significantly helped to improve the work of this institution. In addition to this, students from the Dean's list were announced. Criteria for the best students in each academic year were based on their overall grade point average. Also, selected students had to have passed each year without any renewal or transfer of any subject/class. With a grade point average of 9.0, our student Sumeja  was selected as the best student of her generation and received Dean's recognition for these remarkable results. We would love to remind you again that Sumeja was part of the team that had a brilliant pitch idea and won several awards and first places in various regional competitions. She also runs a blog and social media accounts that focus on healthy lifestyle.

Exciting news about Bosana’s former students:

- This year, our former students Benjamin and Mirzet participated in the Big Bang Challenge in their hometown of Tuzla. They both won recognition in the category of Science and Education. The Big Bang challenge project is a platform that recognizes new leaders among young people. This type of recognition of the successful young leaders has also created new role-models in the public sphere in the city of Tuzla, which also emphasizes their important roles for a better and stronger BiH. The BigBang Generation is a new generation of young leaders who achieve results or inspire others to embark on the path of self development.

- "Students for Humanity" project has been active for six years now. Bosana students each month put aside 2KM that Bosana also matches. Current students and alumni students alike continue to contribute to this project so the impact is very significant.

- This quarter our students had six separate humanitarian actions all across Bosnia and Herzegovina to help those in need.

- The first project helped a family in Ahmetovic village close to Mostar. Both parents are unemployed and they have a two-year-old daughter. They live in a 22-square-meter apartment given to them by the local municipality. Their electricity was on the brink of being shut down and they barely had food to feed their daughter. The funds given to the family paid all the electricity debt, supplied them with food for the next three months and it covered basic necessities for the little girl. Our former student Matea was in charge of this project where students allocated 960KM to this family.

- The second project provided support to our current student and her sisters with heating for this winter season. Our student will remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of her current situation but we are so happy that our students can help one another. For this project, we allocated 485 KM.

- Our third project helped Mirad, a student from Zenica, studying at the Law School in Zenica. Bosana students allocated 300KM to help Mirad cover books for the semester, pay for his monthly transport to the University, and cover his meal vouchers.

- For our fourth project, our former student Armin proposed to help a single mom with an 8-year old daughter from Brcko. Mother Biljana needed help to pay for basic necessities such as winter clothes for her and her daughter. Her daughter also needed school supplies. For this project, students allocated 200KM.

- The fifth project, our students Bilal and Edina proposed to allocate 360 KM to help Anis from Mostar. Anis is a student at the University of Medicine in Sarajevo and struggles to cover his housing, including pay for his meals. Bosana students decided to help him by paying for his dorm for two months. In addition to that, our former students anonymously supported him and paid for his food for a month.

For the final, sixth project, students used the remaining 70 KM from their fund to buy New Years candy/presents for the pediatric patients who are spending holidays in the hospital. Sava, Medical student, organized this event for the second year in a row.