Awarded “Volunteers of the Year”
BH UK Network presented the “volunteers of the year” awards on the occasion of the Annual Assembly.
It is common knowledge that being a volunteer is not very easy. Many individuals daily invest their time, effort, knowledge, skills in the development of the BiH community in Great Britain and change it for the better with their selfless actions. That is why the efforts of activists should be recognized and rewarded. The awards were personally presented by H.E. Vanja Filipović, Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina in London. The Volunteers of the Year are:
- Fejzi Jahaj – Bh. Counseling Center London
- Fahrudin Omerović – Bosnian Association Hertfordshire
- Sanela Saračević Hujić – Coventry Association
- Meliha Hadžović Solaković – Bh. Association Birmingham
- Sada Bektić – Bh. Association Birmingham
- Mirza Bašić – BH Community UK
Fejzi Jahaj – born in Prizren-Kosovo, came to Bosnia and Herzegovina as a graduate of the Hospitality School and opened a bakery with his family. During the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina and after being imprisoned in the Manjača concentration camp, he came with a group of fellow citizens to London where he reunited with his family. After the formation of the Bosnian diaspora, he became a member of the BHCAC in Lyndon, the then BH Club Brent, and very quickly became one of the more active members as a host in the Social Club and became known for his welcome and the various dishes consumed by everyone who came to the club. Fejzi has been on the Steering Committee of the Center for several years and currently serves as its secretary. Fejzi is also a good virtuoso on the flute, and often says that he was born in Kosovo, and that he is just as, if not more, a proud Bosnian.
Fahrudin Omerović – lives in North London and has been a long-time member of the Bosnian-Hertfordshire Association. He is a member of the executive board and has served as the association’s president on several occasions. Fahrudin is a generous person who often initiates and participates in many humanitarian actions. He regularly participates in sports events; futsal, remembrance of the victims of Srebrenica. All members are grateful to him for the effort and time he took to prepare lunch/barbecue at the Bosnian-Hertfordshire supplementary school. Unfortunately, due to work commitments, he was unable to attend the award ceremony, so Sabit Jakupović accepted the award on his behalf.
Sanela Saračević Hujić – is a wonderful young lady from Coventry who, despite her very busy life (private business, police work, full family life), finds time for invaluable work and effort in organizing the distribution of New Year’s gifts in the Coventry BHCA Association. She is the deputy president of the BHCA Association and always has a sincere volunteer will to improve work and socializing in Coventry.
She is credited with making a major contribution to organizing the commemoration of the anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide in Coventry, where she managed to bring a delegation from Warwickshire and West Midlands Police.
Meliha Hadžović Solaković – is a long-time activist of the BiH association and former coordinator for the BiH secondary school in Birmingham. She is a nice person with a full life who wants to fill every moment with a positive example. One of the main reasons for the award is that she not only helped the work of the association and BiH school on several occasions, but also managed to make many children happy in December 2018, when distributing packets. She took care of this year’s magical atmosphere by setting up a “Wizard of Oz” scenography, which managed to bring their little imaginations to life. In the presence of the characters Dorothy, Tin, Scarecrow and Lion, the little ones escaped from the real world and enjoyed playing and socializing together.
Sada Bektić is also a long-time activist of the BiH association Birmingham. This is a wonderful person who for many years brought children to the BiH secondary school and at the same time managed to perform all the necessary activities in order to improve the work of the school and the association. Whether it’s organizing and collecting money for food for various events, gifts for teachers and coordinators, Sada is here to help and organize it all. This year, we are saying goodbye to her son, a high school graduate, who successfully completed secondary school in Bosnia and Herzegovina. But we only told him and his wonderful mother See You Soon!
Mirza Bašić – long-time activist of BH Community UK. He was chosen as Volunteer of the Year for his contribution to music education at Victoria School. Mirza plays the piano and has accompanied not only our students, but also poets at poetry evenings several times. He also plays the accordion and helped our students get to know this instrument better, and sing our traditional songs, sevdalinka. Mirza is a proud parent of two children, Ernad and Layla. A few years ago, he also worked as a volunteer in the class and helped them master reading more easily. Unfortunately, he was unable to attend the award due to his earlier commitments, and Semira Jakupović received the award on his behalf.
In addition to individuals, the award also goes to organizations that invest their resources in interesting and stimulating projects in collaboration with the BH UK Network to provide additional activities and enrich the life of the BiH community on the Island. The organizations selected for the award this year, which have helped the BiH community, are:
- Remembering Srebrenica,
- Healing Hands Network and
- Celebrating Sanctuary.
Remembering Srebrenica – With the help of the organization “ Remembering Srebrenica ” headed by Dr Waqar Azmi OBE and with the support of key figures from the British government, the memory of Srebrenica has been revived. Thanks to them, many war stories have been told, and the pain and sobs of the mothers of Srebrenica have been heard around the world. In cooperation with the BH UK Network, they have been organizing commemorations of the anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide across Great Britain for years. This organization aims to spread awareness about the genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina, about what hatred brings, and to educate young British people about the atrocities in Srebrenica. The award was received on behalf of the organization by Amra Mujkanović, Alma Aganović and Hayyan Bhabha.
Healing Hands Network – a charity based in the UK. This organisation has been operating in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina since 1997, sending volunteer therapists free of charge to treat people suffering from the physical and emotional consequences of the Balkan War. They also work in the UK supporting veterans, providing assistance to members of the UK Armed Forces and their families. Bosnia UK Network works closely with the “Healing Hands Network”. Their therapists come twice a month and provide support to our community members using a variety of therapies: massage, reiki, Bowen therapy etc.
Celebrating Sanctuary – an organization that works through the arts to celebrate and raise awareness of the contribution that refugees make to Birmingham and the UK in general. They have been working with BH UK Network for many years to build relationships and exchange cultural identities. This organization has been organizing various events and activities during Refugee Week for many years. Also a big thank you to Rachel Cox, program manager, who made it possible for the KUD “Mladost Bosne” to perform at the Cannon Hill Park center in Birmingham, where our youngest, under the watchful eye of their instructor Fahira Hasedžić, had the honor of representing the Bosnian and Herzegovinian community in Birmingham with their folklore performance. Of course, their selfless help and the effort of the artists in organizing the commemoration of the anniversary of the genocide in Birmingham should not be overlooked.
