Europe
Sarajevo, Bosnia
Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, has long been a common waypoint on the refugee highway leading to Europe. For more than a decade, more than 20,000 displaced people have traveled through Bosnia and Herzegovina on their way to the European Union. Filling the role of "rest stop" on the refugee highway, the length of stay for each displaced person in Bosnia and Herzegovina depends on individual needs and the ease of continuing their journey. Many plan to stay in Sarajevo for only days to weeks, but some end up staying for a year or more. Bosnia and Herzegovina is still recovering from the ethnic war of the 1990s, which created more than one million refugees. Because it can relate to the refugee experience firsthand, Bosnia and Herzegovina remains one of the few countries able to welcome forcibly displaced people traveling this stretch of the refugee highway. Despite this affinity with the plight of the forcibly displaced, Bosnia struggles with unemployment and a lack of resources. As a result, most of the short- and long-term needs of refugees and asylum seekers are met by humanitarian aid organizations. There are two Temporary Reception Centers (TRCs) operated by the Bosnia and Herzegovina Ministry of Security and IOM, one of which — TRC Blažuj — is just outside Sarajevo, with a population capacity of 1,700 men.
Our Mission
In partnership with local churches and international Christian mission organizations, IAFR Sarajevo ministers to displaced people at two locations: Hope Community, a community center in the small village of Hadžići, and TRC Blažuj. Collaboratively, we lean into the privilege of demonstrating God's unconditional love for forcibly displaced people in Bosnia and Herzegovina by meeting needs and developing relationships which lead to restored hope — transforming the person and their journey.
Long-Term Needs
We are looking for 3-5 full-time teammates, interested in joining our growing team in one of the following roles:
Men’s Program Leader – engage with other men from around the world through games, sports, discipleship, etc.
Worship Leader - create sacred space in weekly worship services and develop music programming
Program Facilitator - be the hands and feet of Christ by developing and conducting all kinds of unique programs in a community center or reception center environment
Welcome Center Coordinator/Host – create a welcoming space for visitors of all nationalities
Short-Term Needs
Short-Term Volunteers – We welcome full-time volunteers for a minimum of 6 weeks to join our programming at both TRC Blažuj and Hope Community. We currently have capacity to host up to 4 short-term volunteers at a time.
Interns – We welcome full-time interns for stays as long as a year, whether university students fulfilling graduation requirements or "gap year"/post-graduation interns seeking hands-on experience. Interns can engage with our existing programming or bring their own unique skills and experience to help develop new programs.
We welcome volunteers and interns to come and contribute to this valuable work as part of the local church's ministry to the forcibly displaced — whether as a tangible way to discern God's calling on their life direction, or simply as a meaningful way to participate in what He is doing in Sarajevo.
