New doors and windows for the European School in Zenica
Following the collapse of the former communist republic of Yugoslavia, a fierce civil war raged in Bosnia and Herzegovina for three years, from 1992 until 1995.
By the end of that time this tragic war had claimed no fewer than 243,000 lives, while some 2 million people had been expelled from their homes as a result of the breakup of the Republic. Hundreds of churches, monasteries, presbyteries and other Church buildings were deliberately destroyed. Today, a full 20 years after the end of the war, the wounds are still painfully evident.
Ever since the war, the Catholic Church has striven to promote reconciliation and peaceful coexistence between the various different ethnic groups and religions within the country, by means of numerous different social and educational projects. One particular example among many others is the seven so-called “European Schools” run by the Catholic Church, which are open to children from all the different ethnic and religious groups and are intended as a foundation for a peaceful future in the country. These schools – which have more applications than they can accept – have been supported right from the start by ACN.
Zenica, where one of the European Schools is situated, is a town with a Muslim majority. The school centre was established in 1995 and enlarged in 2009. It comprises a primary school with 453 pupils and a grammar school with 255 pupils. It has 65 teaching staff and other employees and is situated in a former convent where in 1903 the sisters of the congregation of the Adorers of the Blood of Christ had initially founded the first school in the area.
The school now urgently needs new doors and windows. ACN has already promised 20,000 Euros – confident in the support of our generous benefactors.
Code: 444-19-19
