Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Transforming Lives

Poster from USAID-supported campaign “Silence is NOT Golden (Sutnja Nije Zlato)”

In Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), violence against women and girls is widespread and underreported—an all-too-common dirty little secret. The issue does not get the attention and time it deserves, and neither do the perpetrators. But a nationwide campaign—that included petitions, billboards and a special postage stamp—recently stirred unprecedented civil society and political will to better prevent and properly punish such acts.

Public presentation of government monitoring reports in February 2017.

Civil society in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) is demanding integrity and responsibility from the government. That says a lot for a country where citizens in yearly surveys rank corruption as one of the biggest problems in the country while expressing the belief that they cannot do anything to stop it.

 Citizen takes photos of $938 wastebasket bought by government, during "We Pay the Price" campaign in Sarajevo.

A lot of taxpayers’ money has gone up in smoke with the purchase of $700 ashtrays and other items in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). But most citizens did not know how bad it was until recently.

Tenants of Tesanj in Bosnia and Herzegovina converse comfortably inside a warm apartment.

The poor state of several apartment buildings in Tesanj, an otherwise picturesque town in the Tuzla canton of Bosnia and Herzegovina, left its residents uncomfortable and cold. After working together to improve the energy efficiency of their apartments, residents can now rest easy. 

Ilja Andric in Brcko, Bosnia and Herzegovina says thanks to the US, his village enjoys safe, reliable electricity.

To the people of Brcko, Bosnia and Herzegovina, unpredictable power outages were a way of life that impacted businesses, schools, and homes. Any time there was a storm or technical failure, people could lose power for lengthy periods of time.

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