Who We Are

Photo by Sara Terry

The Center for Balkan Development is a network of more than a thousand people in the United States, Canada, and Europe working to help the region of the former Yugoslavia rebuild and create a peaceful and prosperous future. Our vision is one of peace and reconciliation, of human strength and economic recovery. To achieve that vision, we continue to support reconstruction efforts in the former Yugoslavia through innovative projects in local communities. We provide financial assistance where it will make the most difference. And we continue to spotlight for the American public the past and present realities of the region.

At the Center for Balkan Development, our idea of helping the former Yugoslavia rebuild isn’t just to send money overseas and hope it will do some good. We’ve always been deeply and personally involved in concrete efforts that create real change.

During the wars in Bosnia and Kosovo, the Center for Balkan Development sent four containers of food, medical supplies, clothing, and school supplies to war victims trying to survive under impossible conditions. Members of the Center for Balkan Development accompanied these deliveries to ensure that the supplies actually reached those who desperately needed them. The Center for Balkan Development staff also made a difficult winter journey over Mount Igman to deliver aid to Sarajevo and other locations throughout Bosnia.

Today our efforts are focused on reconstruction in the former Yugoslavia and public education in the United States, as we work toward more permanent solutions to the economic stagnation caused by the breakup of Yugoslavia and the ensuing wars. We strongly believe that the region will achieve permanent peace only when it enjoys a viable economy. Only then will people be able to focus on building a future for themselves and their families.

The Center for Balkan Development is a 501(c)(3) tax-deductible organization.