In June of 2014, Bosnia and Herzegovina was hit by the worst floods since the 1890s. Several areas were left without any access to communication and basic humanitarian aid. NEFBiH hosted an emergency online and in-person fundraiser to benefit the victims. Our Director of Finance at the time, Amanda Hukanović, flew to Bosnia, just as the floods were starting, to visit her family. Amanda sent us a message on May 19, 2014 asking for assistance seeing that she witnessed a lot of discrepancies in the manner the aid was being distributed. On that same day, our Board of Directors brought a decision to permit Amanda to use a portion of the funds collected to directly buy supplies for those most in need. On May 20, 2014, Amanda spoke with some of the families most affected by the flooding and purchased, then distributed, items that the families were the most in need of.
Alongside in-person aid, NEFBiH also hosted a “From Boston to Balkans with Love” Fundraiser in cooperation with a group of Serbian Americans at Sabur Restaurant on June 5th, 2014. A total of $11,668.96 was raised that evening, and 50% of the proceeds were distributed to flood victims in Bosnia, while the remaining 50% to flood victims in Serbia.