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A group of 15 airmen assigned to the 401st Expeditionary Air Base Group volunteered to travel to the Simin Han Refugee Center Jan. 15.
The opportunity to bring sorely needed clothes, toiletries, and school supplies to the center presents an opportunity to not only see Bosnia from �the other side of the wire�, but also to gain a better understanding of the importance of our mission here in the Balkans.
Most of the residents of the center, 10 miles north of Eagle Base, are refugees from around Srebrenica. The center houses 86 people, 65 of whom are children; there are no men at Simin Han.
The mothers and their children lost their husbands, fathers and brothers as a result of the fall of Srebrenica May 11, 1995. Srebrenica is also the location where the first mass grave sites were discovered by international relief workers. Men of fighting age, some as young as twelve years old, were separated from their families by the occupying Serbian forces and executed; mass graves may have become the final resting place for many. Nearly forty thousand people are still listed as missing.
After Simin Han�s establishment in 1996 by the Swiss Red Cross, the center housed almost 120 people. Swiss Red Cross funding ended in 2000, and although the women and the older children have learned to make handicrafts that they sell to make some money, it is not enough to survive.
Humanitarian funding for the center has slowed to a trickle and the visits by members of the 401st EABG, which date back to April 1997, are one of the few sources of external help.
During the troops� visit, younger children at the camp held a recital. During the recital they read poems, sang, danced and performed a fashion show, highlighted by one of the youngsters sporting a pair of Barbie shoes, a gift from the previous month�s visit.
The greatest excitement of the afternoon, perhaps, was the opportunity for children to have their pictures taken with a Polaroid camera. For the children, pictures of themselves having a good time with their friends was more important than toys or candy. For the airmen, these pictures allowed them to leave knowing that they brought so much more than clothes and toys to the center. They also helped to bring laughter and, if only for a short while, happiness.
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We are always searching for donations for the Simin Han Refugee Center. If you can help, please contact me via email or call me DSN 314-762-8006
Mult-iNational Division North (MND-N)
401 EABG/Liaison
Operation Joint Forge
APO AE 09789
