United States and BIH Armed Forces Engineers Team Up to Renovate School in Foca

July 28, 2009

For the second year in a row, engineers from the United States will partner with their counterparts from the armed forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina to conduct a humanitarian assistance project which will renovate the interior of the primary school in Foca. The project is part of the US Embassy’s Office of Defense Cooperation’s humanitarian assistance program which is designed to provide aide and assistance to communities throughout Bosnian and Herzegovina.

The first part of the program renovated the exterior of the school and although the funding still came from the United States European Command, the work was actually done by local contractors from Bosnia. The second part of the program is designed to bring together engineer experts from both militaries to exchange techniques and learn from one another as well as help the community. This unique program is great example of how the military can support civilian authorities and contribute to the community and its people. 

This year, the US engineers come from the US Air Force Command in Europe (USAFE) located in Rammstein, Germany. The unit referred to as the Military Construction Flight, will work over the next few weeks to renovate the school’s interior and will work alongside their engineer friends from Bosnia and Herzegovina.