Programme offers people displaced by Balkans wars the joy of coming home
The 290-million euro international programme, supported by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has assisted over 8,600 people and is set to close next year. The tears in the eyes of Branko Glisic when he recalls coming back to live in the village he left because of Bosnia’s...
Vocational art therapies as psychosocial support to asylum-seeking women in BiH
Vocational art therapies and recreational group activities are part of the psychosocial programmes for vulnerable groups of asylum-seekers women provided by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, through a partnership with the Bosnia and Herzegovina Women’s Initiative (BHWI)...
UNHCR is a bridge between refugees and the United Nations
Each year, many people fleeing war, persecution and violence transit through Montenegro on their way to Western Europe. Since 2012, however, more and more have sought asylum here. Of the nearly 8,000 people who in 2019 initially stated an intention to apply for asylum...
For me, one part of paradise is in Montenegro
For refugees, integration into the local community can be a solution to their plight and a chance to build a new life. Montenegro placed integration high on the policy agenda, with the aim of rendering refugees economically productive and self-reliant, all the while...
I’ve found my life in Montenegro
For 28 years, UNHCR in Montenegro has helped refugees by providing legal and material aid, as well as psychosocial support, while at the same time working with Montenegro to develop its asylum capacities. “Montenegro’s open-door policy in the aftermath of the...
Afghan youth pursues his design dream at college in Belgrade
Sami Rasuli aimed for Italy but Serbia is giving him the practical grounding he needs for a career in fashion
Legends of Pirates
Shezad K. is 16. He fled Afghanistan two years ago. Back home, he witnessed his family perish before his eyes, and after many years of struggling on his own in the unsafe streets of his hometown, had to flee to seek international protection. On arrival to Serbia, with...
Blocked on road to EU, family considers Bosnia for asylum
At the doorstep of the EU, where thousands of asylum seekers are prevented from journeying onwards, one Afghan family have decided to call a halt and invest their hopes for a new life in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
It’s time to make education a priority
Limited access to education magnifies the challenges of life in exile – finding work, staying healthy, holding on to dignity and hope. It also limits the potential of refugee women and girls to rebuild their lives, protect themselves against abuse and take a lead in...
UNHCR Advocates for Durable Solutions for Displaced Persons
Avni a 38-year-old, seems to be very happy. “I have my own house, a place where I can stay with my family”, he told UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. Avni started a new life in his new house in Fushë Kosovë (Kosovo Polje). There is still no garden in front of his house...
The girl who has never traveled farther than Skopje
For some of Lirije’s friends, the sky is the limit. For Lirije, the limit has been Skopje all her life.
Syrian refugee couple find new hope and freedom through art
An exhibition of drawings by artists Shergo Musa and Nazli Abdou in Skopje portrays the experiences, hopes and fears of their family and fellow refugees.