BiH Families Offer Homes to Children in Crisis
When Halida and Jasmin Avdic applied to become foster parents, they were looking to fill the void created by their daughter’s departure to become an au pair in the U.S. Little did they expect that her place would soon be filled by not one but three energetic little boys. Ante, 11, Samir, 9, and their little brother Damir, 8, were thrust into a crisis situation when their mother had to be hospitalized long-term. Fortunately, the boys’ social worker, Bozo Stjepic, understood the importance of placing them with a family instead of in an orphanage.
The foster family program is supported by USAID and implemented by Save the Children UK with Tuzla Canton institutions. Its goal is to place children deprived of parental care into homes rather than institutions. According to SCUK’s Tuzla Office Director Jasmina Selimovic, the foster program requires extensive training of families and follow-up by social workers. At first, it’s not always clear to people why extra resources should be used when there are spaces available in institutions.
“We say the focus must be on what’s best for the children, not the bureaucracy,” says Selimovic. “When social workers see how much better the children do in a family setting, they strive to place children with families despite the extra work it requires.”
Says Stijepic, “A foster family can provide more love and attention than an institution. Our foster mothers go to parents meetings, help the children study, take them to see specialists—everything a biological mother would do.”
Halida Avdic agrees. Although taking three new children into her home hasn’t been easy (“I’m just learning how to get all the meals cooked on time,” she laughs), she and her husband consider the boys an integral part of their family. “Even our dog has accepted them and eats out of their hands,” she says.
Avdic wishes more families would consider fostering. “I think that more children should enter this program earlier so they can avoid trauma,” she says.
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| Brothers Samir and Ante are adjusting well to life with their foster family |
Jalida Avdic and her three foster children outside their Tuzla home |
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