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Strengthening the Private Sector and Government Responsiveness
Overall Achievements in Bosnia & Herzegovina:
CHF International’s community-based development programs in Bosnia and Herzegovina are improving the social and economic circumstances of families and communities, while strengthening the use of democratic decision-making in governance. Since gaining independence, Bosnia and Herzegovina has been gradually recovering from political turmoil and the volatile economy that marked the mid-1990s. The war that followed independence displaced 800,000 people across borders as refugees, and an additional 800,000 were internally displaced.
(By September 2005)
The war also destroyed a significant amount of the country’s infrastructure, severely ruptured the social fabric of its communities, and impaired its economic base. Through our programs, CHF International is helping the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina:
- strengthen NGOs and cooperatives in the small business and housing fields;
- foster multiethnic joint initiatives;
- respond to the challenge of strategic regional economic development, build small businesses, and create a range of economic opportunities;
- increase the transparency and efficiency of local government; and
- further linkages between civil society and local governments to promote economic development.
CHF International’s Regional Economic Development Initiative (REDI), funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperative Agency (Sida), and Market-Based Enterprise Networking Initiative (MENI), funded by the Royal Netherlands Embassy, are two key programs in central Bosnia and Herzegovina that are strategically building the capacity of the REZ RDA, the area’s Regional Development Agency. REZ RDA was formed from CHF International’s initial intervention, Municipal Economic Development Initiative (MEDI), funded by USAID, which aimed to bring together associations and local government officials for business development purposes. REZ, meaning “to cut” (as in to cut through obstacles), has since grown into a self-sustaining local organization that is now providing consulting services, financial resources, and business tools, while creating critical market linkages for thousands of members.
In addition, LIDER (the Loan Initiative for the Development of Economic Regions) is a locally registered micro-credit organization that has disbursed more than 3,500 small business, home improvement, income generation, and consumer loans to financially under-served clients in the country.
Finally, IMPPACTS (Improving, Measuring, and Promoting Poverty Alleviation by Cooperatives in Transition Societies) is refining our understanding of the variables that impact cooperative effectiveness, develop better measures of cooperative impact, and enhance the conditions for cooperative development through social marketing strategies. IMPPACTS is also funded by USAID. Read more about CHF/Bosnia's IMMPACTS Program.
Download the complete Fact Sheet above.