Alumni Impact: I oni su naša budućnost ("They are also our future")

A group of high school students from Bosnia and Herzegovina organized a project to donate computers and set up classes at a local orphanage.

Through one project, led by Alem, several participants have worked with the only orphanage in Sarajevo, which houses 99 children ranging from infants to high school students. Collaborating with the orphanage director as well as with the embassy, they secured 10 donated computers from USAID. After receiving the donation, they worked to set up the computers and have arranged for an IT professional to provide a series of free computer literacy workshops.

Here's what Alem has to say about the project:

Alem with the new computers!

The idea for the project came from my mother. We started to implement the project after New Year. First, we contacted the director of the orphanage and we scheduled a meeting. Beside me, Hajrudin and Selma were working on it.

At first, we didn't have big expectations because it seemed to us that five computers were really hard to get, even the FIUTS staff said that! The director of the orphanage at the first meeting gave us his full support and that was the green light to continue further on.

The next step was to promote our project and to make a list of potential donors. We were on our city TV station „ TV Sarajevo“ so we introduced our community to our humanitarian project. We also found firms that could be our donors. (Watch a video - in Bosnian - of Alem, Nebosja, and Selma being interviewed about the project.)

Afterward we contacted our Youth Leadership Program coordinator Lejla Pašović to schedule a meeting with the director and to sign a contract. That was the point when we had to send our signed contract (information letter) to the donors that we found before.

Feđa (left) and Alem setting up the computers

Because of our obligations in school, we didn't immediately send it, we waited for about two weeks. One day after school, I received a call from Lejla Pašović and she told me that we got the donation, which included ten computers with the full equipment from USAID.

I was so happy and excited that I couldn't believe it, instantly I thought about the children and realized how happy they will be, how will those ten computers change their lives. I can't describe that feeling.

When  (FIUTS staff members) Era and Alison came from Seattle to the pre-departure orientation we scheduled a meeting with the director and we asked the press to be there to capture the whole event.

In the computer lab, getting ready for another press appearance

Students enjoying the computer lab

The day when we went there I was very proud that we actually did the project successfully. I still haven't been aware that we completed our goal until the children got computers. They were so happy and grateful to us.

My heart was beating fast, I was happy as they were, perhaps even happier, I was fulfilled and that gave me strength and motivation to continue with my work and to do more projects in future.

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