Saravejo

Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, has long been a common waypoint on the refugee highway leading to Europe. Since 2015, more than 30,000 displaced people have traveled through Bosnia and Herzegovina every year. Filling the role of “rest stop” on the refugee highway, the length of stay for each displaced person in Bosnia and Herzegovina is dependent on individual needs and the ease of continuing their journey. Many plan to stay in Sarajevo for only days to weeks, but some can end up staying for a year or more in the country. Bosnia and Herzegovina is still recovering from the ethnic war of the 1990’s, which created more than one million refugees. Because of its ability to personally identify with refugee experiences, Bosnia and Herzegovina remains one of the few countries that can be welcoming to forcibly displaced people traveling this stretch of the refugee highway. Despite its affinity with the plight of the forcibly displaced, Bosnia struggles with unemployment and lack of resources. As a result, a majority of short- and long-term needs of refugees and asylum seekers are provided through humanitarian aid organizations. There are four Temporary Reception Centers (TRCs) operated by the Bosnian and Herzegovina Ministry of Foreign Affairs and IOM, two of which are just outside Sarajevo. These two TRCs outside Sarajevo have a population capacity of 2500, one TRC serving single men and the other TRC serving families, women, and unaccompanied minors.