Better Tomorrow

In January 2007, CBD Executive Director Ria Kulenovic and Board President Glenn Ruga visited Better Tomorrow at their center in Tuzla. The program operates in four locations in eastern Bosnia including Republika Srpska near Srebrenica. Reconciliation has been especially difficult in these areas for a variety of reasons including the fact that many returning Bosniaks experience hostility from their Serb neighbors. Reconciliation in this part of Bosnia is essential for national and regional stability, and CBD believes it can only be achieved through effective and structured youth initiatives.

Like many other youth programs in Bosnia, Better Tomorrow faces considerable financial burdens. International aid money is not as available as it once was and the government funding is only token. Despite these obstacles, Better Tomorrow’s staff of three, led by Binasa Kavazovic, are highly motivated and often work without wages to keep the program afloat.

But their financial burden continues to grow. Better Tomorrow serves about 500 children and youth ages five to 18 through informal educational and recreational activities. Its membership steadily increases, especially now that the program seeks to integrate Roma children. About 15,000 Roma live in the Tuzla canton. They have long been marginalized, their current mistreatment has reached endemic proportions, and a majority of Roma children don’t attend school.

CBD staff is conscious of minority and displaced children’s needs in Tuzla and is committed to helping Better Tomorrow locate funding and support so that they can better serve these communities.

CBD is also helping the program by finding volunteers and interns who can make on-site visits. Patrick Tippy, a volunteer ESL and computer teacher, will spend three months this summer working with children in Tuzla. Patrick has a BA in psychology from the University of Oregon in Portland, and he has extensive experience working in the nonprofit sector. Leading up to his trip at the end of May, Patrick is attending seminars so that he can help train Better Tomorrow staff and volunteers on grant writing, record keeping, foundation research, and community outreach strategies. Patrick will also write a blog during his stay in Tuzla. Click here to visit Patrick’s regular postings.

CBD is also now in the process of identifying an Eliot-Pearson fellow from the Tufts University Child Development graduate program to conduct on-site evaluations and needs assessments for Better Tomorrow’s programs.