Loans for Bosnian women

Elvedina Plasto is a 40 years old resident of a small town in Central Bosnia called Kakanj. She is married, mother of two sons who are not 19 and 11 years old and she also has a daughter who is 9 years old. Her occupation is a teacher of religion.

Even though she is very proud of her title of a mother, if you ask from Elvedina to tell you something about herself, she will tell you that she is a mother, and a wife, and a busy woman, and a housewife, and an active citizen and a leader in her community, and a good friend… and many more things.

But how is all of that weaved in only one person? How a woman manages to carry that entire burden on her back?

Elvedina says that she can thank for all this to, again, only one person - her mother. Even though illiterate, her mother was full of wisdom, patience and endless love for her children. Elvedina learned from her that success will not come on its alone in life, but one must fight for it. Guided through life by her mother’s heritage, Elvedina started building a heritage that she will leave for her and all other children, with hope that she will contribute for the world to become a better place for life.

Since, not so long ago, Elvedina felt that this place for life can turn out to be the worst nightmare over a night. The war that began at the beginning of 1992 caught Elvedina and her family as many other people unprepared. A young mother of a three year-old boy, back then, she faced the hardest challenge for a woman, for a mother for the first time. How to protect her family, how to provide for those small mouth not to be hungry?

Elvedina remembers those days and when she talks about them her thoughts go to all those women and children who even today live inside hell. But, she says that this experience made her even stronger and even better person. She remembered how a soil can be ductile when mother’s hands cultivate it between two shootings. How tasteful is a meal which is comprised of the most creativity, courage and love a woman can give, and all the rest are just passing ingredients.

And just when he thought that she survived the worst she faced another terrifying thing. Elvedina, her husband and her three-year-old son, together with another 25 neighbours were captured by Croatian Army soldiers and taken to a prison.

Today, when she talks about that event, Elvedina says that that is one of the most terrifying but also one of the brightest events in her life, which will mark her forever. Back then, while the Croatian soldiers demonstrated their force sharpening their knives and causing fear at people who were already scared Elvedina noticed her neighbours close to her, Croats, who came with tears in their eyes to help their captured neighbours, Bosniaks.

While she was holding her three-year-old Harun in her arms, ready to fight for life as a lioness, she realized the entire beauty of humanity and love… love for the neighbours. And that, as long as there is humanity in at least one man, there is hope for this world.

Until the end of the war Elvedina prayed for no one and never again experience similar experience.



After the war Elvedina gave birth to another two children, a boy named Ahmed, and a girl named Lejla. All the war temptations made her even stronger and motivated her to engage in activities outside her household. Grateful to God that her family survived she felt the need to help families that suffered different losses during the war and she especially wanted to give hand to mothers and children.

Elvedina realized that, besides being a mother of three children, a wife, employed in a school, she has much more energy and time for other social activities.

Guided with that idea she started to organize different lectures from medicine, psychology, pedagogy, law, religions, etc… It was difficult in the beginning. The priorities were to find a job, to reconstruct houses, to provide education for children, etc. people were hardly thinking of some lectures. But, Elvedina was persistent. She realized the importance of gathering of women, exchange of experiences, talk and education. She could talk to her friends for hours on the phone, animate women, female neighbours, and female friends to come to lectures. She was bringing professors from the Universities in Sarajevo and Tuzla.

Elvedina believed that conversation and socializing contribute to better physical and mental health of a woman. That is where she collected her strength and ideas from. Every smile of any woman was the best reward for Elvedina, every next lecture that more women attended was confirmation for her that she is on the right path.

In March 2005, Elvedina with few other women that joined her in the meantime started the project called “Days Dedicated to a Woman”. That was her respond to March 8th when people wish to, giving one flower or making a party for women, want to pay attention on women. Elvedina thinks that a woman as a mother, a sister, a daughter, a friend deserves all days in a year. She wanted her daughter tomorrow, as all other daughters to have all days in a year when she will feel that they are respected, loved and honoured. That is why she had to move on.

Looking around her Elvedina realized that there are many successful women around her, but not many people know about them. They remain hidden behind their kitchens, their husbands or some other successful men who easily find their places in a society.

Therefore Elvedina organizes tribunes where she presents successful women of Kakanj. The goal of these assemblies is for women to provide support to each other and to jointly engage in all activities on the level of their local communities. Since, she knows that only united women can succeed.

Besides numerous obligations Elvedina finds some time for humanitarian work that has the goal to raise money, to collect some food and clothes for the most endangered women and their families on the area of Kakanj.

Her work has already become the integral part of the day in her family. Her husband and children became part of her work themselves. They write invitations together, they pack gifts, visit poor people, and organize parties and picnics for children and many other things.

Elvedina considers that these experiences will make better people from her children, that they will make them to be useful members of the society. As a matter of fact, they are already useful members of the society. Since while many other children spend their time in cafes or playing computer games, Elvedina’s children help her in her tasks or projects. They even sometimes give some ideas. They feel sad when they see other people’s suffering around them. That is when they realize how important the work of their mum is.

This wife, mother and fist of all a woman finds time for hobbies as well. She likes old things and that is why she made the ethno-house «Sultanov konak» («Sultan’s Residence») and a local association of women in Kraljeva Sutjeska. By doing this, Elvedina is trying to preserve tradition of Bosniaks in that region together with some more women, as well as to establish inter-religion dialogue with Croatian associations in Kraljeva Sutjeska.she somehow feels she has to do that because of all those tears of her Croatian neighbours who saved her, her family and her neighbours during the war.

And once again the question from the beginning of the story: How can one person do all this, how come she can find time for all obligations in her family, at work and in the community?

Elvedina replies on this with a smile of a happy and satisfied woman. The support that her family provides is the first thing that enables her to do all that. They have taken over the big part of responsibilities in a house, as well as in her activities. And what is the most important thing – they enjoy in this.

She say: «I am not tired, I wish to do so many things more, since I am aware that the true happiness is to know how to make other people happy. I want a healthy surrounding in which ma children will grow up and work, as well as other children. May God help me.»