Under the motto “We may not be able to do great things, but we can do small things, but with a big heart”, members of numerous citizens’ associations in Velika Kladusa have been organizing various actions and activities in recent years to help sick and economically disadvantaged fellow citizens.
Among them, the members of the Association of Cancer Patients “Sutra je novi dan/Tomorrow is a New Day” stand out, who, after their own battle with a vicious disease, help those who have yet to fight the same fight, the fight for life.
According to Association member Emina Ljubijankic, who is also the coordinator for organizing actions with other associations, members provide their monetary contribution to help the sick in several ways, primarily through organizing the so-called events for selling cookies. The idea to sell cookies and cakes, as she points out, was launched in 2021 on the eve of Daffodil Day, which is marked with the aim of raising awareness of breast cancer prevention.
“In our Association, we came up with the idea to offer cakes and cookies to citizens, which we prepared in our homes, along with daffodils. We didn’t set the price of the products, but the citizens paid as much as they could, it doesn’t matter if it’s one BAM, two, five or ten, the important thing is that it’s from the heart. Passers-by were satisfied with our action and offer, so it was extremely successful”.
Given that this type of money collection for the sick and injured is also practiced by women’s associations operating in Veliko Kladuša settlements, they soon started organizing joint actions, i.e. selling cakes and cookies in the city center.
“Our first joint action was organized for Professor Nijaz Kovacevic. Members of nine associations participated: “Djul” from Crvarevac, “Ashik Kaldrma” from Podzvizd, “Svjetlost” Vrnograc, “Nur” Velika Kladusa, members of the Association “Most za bolje sutra”, Women’s Association “Mala Kladusa”, members of the choir “El-verdu”, and an informal group of women from Todorovo and, of course, our association “Tomorrow is a new day”. The action was promoted by the media, the interest of the citizens was huge, so that in one day we managed to collect 20,000 BAM”, Emina points out with pride.
So far, nine joint cake events have been organized and, as they say, they are intended for people who cannot donate a large amount of money to help the sick, but want to contribute in accordance with their capabilities. The Association “Tomorrow is a new day” initiates these events solely on the basis of an appeal for help to one of the sick locals/citizens. Donated funds are mostly spent by patients on the purchase of expensive medicines or for treatment outside the borders of Bosnia and Herzegovina, most often in Turkey.
“One of the most urgent actions was for a boy who had surgery in Germany, the funds for the surgery were promised to be paid by the Solidarity Fund, but that promise was not fulfilled. We organized an event where we sold cookies and cakes and collected the funds. We are happy that we managed to realize this in a short time, and even happier that the treatment went well and that the patient is now a healthy and cheerful four-year-old”, says Emina.
Unlike the Association “Tomorrow is a new day”, women’s associations that are established in Velika Kladusa primarily with the aim of nurturing culture and tradition and strengthening the role of women in rural areas, through baking sales, they contribute not only to the treatment of the sick, but also for other purposes.
In addition to the members, they also have support from other locals from the local community, says Senajda Masinovic, president of the Association “Djul” from Crvarevac, adding that this Association, in addition to communal bake sales, also had independent ones.
Until today, they have implemented a total of 18 of them, all of them had a humanitarian character, and there were days when the members of “Djul” participated in two bake sales at once, says Masinovic.
“Our neighborhood, and therefore the Association, is geographically closer to the Buzim Municipality, so there were situations where we participated in a joint action in Velika Kladusa and in an action initiated by Active Women of the Majlis of the Islamic Community of Buzim in one day. In addition to the sale of cakes, cookies and homemade products, we also organized a charity concert, so that on one occasion we managed to collect 11,000 BAM for the treatment of a local resident, which is not a small amount of money.”
Even Seneta Orucevic, the president of the Association “Svjetlost” Vrnograc, whose members, a total of 40 of them, participate in these actions, does not hide her happiness due to the success of the actions. They are happy that the associations of Velika Kladusa also contribute to the bake sales, which they initiate in their local community, which speaks of the unity of the people in moments when help to fellow citizens, regardless of who it is, is needed.
The president of the Association “Asik kaldrma” Podzvizd Zemina Kapic points out that the participation in the bake sales to help the sick usually happens in silence. At the invitation of one of the associations, the members prepare cakes, cookies and then donate them, without the obligation of the initiator of the action to state the name of the association that donated them.
“Our members, as well as members of other associations, give their contribution to help the sick, and not to stand out among citizens, or on social media and in the media. It is not important that people know that we made an effort, participated, the greatest satisfaction is that feeling and that personal satisfaction that we did something useful for those who are fighting for health, for life”.
According to our interviewees, it is the hardest for them when the collected funds are returned to the associations and in cases where there was no help for the sick. After that, the family returns the money, and focuses on treating other patients. And, unfortunately, there are such cases because often, due to late detection, treatment fails.
In order to minimize late detections, and therefore poor treatment outcomes, the actors of this story, in addition to fundraising actions, attach great importance to activities related to prevention and health promotion.
Namely, all previously mentioned associations, as well as other women’s associations from Velika Kladusa, through organizing lectures, discussions with experts in the field of medicine, distribution of promotional leaflets, work to develop women’s awareness of the importance of prevention, ways to prevent diseases, as well as the importance of early detection.
The projects of the Association for Helping Cancer Patients “Tomorrow is a New Day” stand out. They held numerous lectures with the aim of prevention and the importance of early detection of malignant diseases, as well as providing psychological support.
However, as a special activity, although they are all important, the project “Mobile Mammogram” stands out, in the implementation of which the Association “Tomorrow is a New Day” is assisted by local women’s associations, where applications for mammography are made.
“We started this project in 2021, with the goal of providing free mammography screening for 200 women every year. The examination is intended for women over 40, and younger women from risk groups. The turnout was great, and 219 inspections were carried out in 2021, which was more than the planned number. We were extremely glad that the women came for examination, although the funds we received from the Government in the amount of 3,000 BAM, and the Velika Kladusa Municipality in the amount of 5,000 BAM were not enough for a larger number of examinations. Of course, we did not turn away interested women, but the necessary money was paid by the Association from its own funds”, said Nasija Dzihanovic, president of the Association.
The project was also implemented in 2022, and continued in 2023. The president states with disappointment that the funds, unfortunately, have been reduced, and she expresses her indignation that when distributing the funds intended for associations, the significance of the projects is not considered and that projects related to prevention and people’s health they often receive less funding from the local community than projects that are, for example, related to some cultural manifestation or sports events.
“We do not underestimate the importance of such projects, and it is clear that they should be supported, but more funds should be given for prevention and health promotion. It is known that women from rural areas have a hard time deciding to go to the city for such examinations, to the health care center, and through the “Mobile Mammogram” project, it means that when the examination is carried out in their neighborhood, there will be great interest. That says enough that this project needs to be supported with more money by the local community, as well as the canton”.
If the data on women’s interest in screening is added to the fact that, precisely thanks to the mobile mammogram, more breast cancer was detected at an early stage, and thus women’s lives were saved, the position of the president and members of the Association “Tomorrow is a new day” on securing more funds is well founded and justified.
“The first year, i.e. in 2021, early-stage breast cancer was detected in two women, in 2022, one case, and there were several suspicious changes in the breasts, which are still monitored regularly. We are affiliated with the health center, and women are referred for further processing and treatment immediately after receiving the results. In addition, all women receive promotional flyers and instructions on self-examinations, as well as the steps they should take if they notice anything suspicious,” says President Džihanović.
Even in 2023, although with insufficient funds, the Association continued the project. So far, 143 women have been screened in two local communities, and the Association has applied with the project to the public call of the Una-Sana Canton Government for the allocation of funds, so they hope that the mobile mammogram will reach other neighborhoods in Velika Kladusa.
At the end of the conversation, we wish the hard-working and humane members of the Association “Tomorrow is a new day”, as well as other associations that participate in joint activities, to have as many funds as possible for health promotion and preventive examinations in the future, and as few appeals as possible for organizing bake sales, i.e. as few seriously ill fellow citizens as possible who need funds for treatment.
Author: Nermina Zulic
Photo: archives of the Association “Tomorrow is a New Day”
This article was written thanks to the generous support of the American people through the “Local Works” program of the United States Agency for International Development in Bosnia and Herzegovina (USAID). The contents of the publication are under the exclusive liability of its author and “Network for Building Peace”. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of the USAID or the US Government.
