Fifteen Slovenian police officers who are part of UNMIK (United Nations Mission in Kosovo) forces in Kosovo organized a charity campaign to show that the mission tasks are not merely police business but much more than that, covering also various forms of helping the stricken civilian population.
On April 7, 2007 the Kosovo public was shocked to hear about a fire that had broken out in a refugee camp in the village of Uglare by Kosovo polje. The fire, besides destroying the meagre property of a young family, also took the lives of two children of this family, a six-year-old boy and a girl not yet two.
The tragedy hit the family of Mrs Vesna Savic, a refugee from Slatina, who had been driven out of her home together with her four children after the bloody demonstrations in March 2004. At that time Vesna found refuge at the refugee camp Bergen, which had been built by the Norwegian government, with the help of donations, but living conditions there were intolerable. On January 7, 2007 tragedy struck. A fire broke out in Vesna's humble apartment (if we can call a room of 16 square metres an apartment), in which she lost all her belongings, together with the lives of two of her children. This unfortunate event shook all of Kosovo, together with all the foreign public in this restless province.
After the tragedy, Mrs Vesna Savic, who is seven months pregnant, remained alone with two small children and without any means of survival. Life in a small room which contained nothing but a small broken bed and two plastic cabinets and had no running water, certainly did not afford decent living conditions.
The Slovenian police officers in Kosovo therefore decided to organize a charity campaign and donate our own funds to at least partly contribute to furnishing the small room. We also appealed to some Slovenian companies in Kosovo to help Vesna and her children. Together with the companies Intereuropa and Era we raised enough money to at least partly furnish Vesna's apartment.
On Thursday, April 19, 2007, Slovenian Police Contingent members and representatives of Intereuropa and Era, donated an electric cooker, bed, mattress, sink, tap, and water heater to the family to at least partly help them move on with their lives. Vesna, her two children and the baby, who is due in June, will have at least a basic standard of living conditions.
This campaign of the Slovenian police contingent was welcomed by other members of international forces in Kosovo. Our action did not only display a professional and human attitude towards the stricken civilian population but it also had a very positive effect on the reputation of the Republic of Slovenia and its police. Special thanks also go to Mr Andrej Karis from Intereuropa Pristina and Peter Hlis from Era, Pristina.
Prepared by: Kristjan Mlekus,
UNMIK Kosov