Article September 23, 2002 Issue

Peacebuilding in Bosnia

By Demaris Wehr

Our Bus Climbed the mountains into the tiny town of Neum on Bosnia's Adriatic coast, where our small NGO (nongovernment organization) would be working again this past summer, as we have done for the last three summers.

We looked out at the peaceful, colorful scene below. Small farms dotted the landscape—the colors everywhere were vibrant, as Bosnians (Serbs and Muslims alike) use every space available to cultivate fruits, vegetables, and flower gardens. Beach houses topped with orange-tiled Mediterranean roofs, contrasted with the sparkling, steely blue of the Adriatic Sea, completed the bold dashes of color.

I jostled along in the bus up the beautiful, curving mountain road. It was hard to conceive of the devastation and horror that gripped this land during its tragic civil war (1992–95). During my summers in Bosnia, where I help teach conflict transformation skills to individuals whose lives have been torn apart by war, I've often pondered the contrast between the incredible natural beauty and the destruction war wreaks. The NGO I work for is called The Karuna Center for Peacebuilding and Conflict Transformation (KCP). Karuna means "compassion" in Sanskrit. The KCP currently operates out of Leverett, Massachusetts, where KCP's founder, Paula Green, teaches at the nearby School for International Training (SIT) in Brattleboro, Vermont. KCP and SIT are partners in Green's summer course, "Contact," where people from all over the world learn peace-building and conflict-transformation skills.