You can download the complete year report of 1999 on this page
This year POO only got supported by Peace Office Eindhoven for it's
organization costs. Other donations were completely used by the projects
that genarated the donations.
However, in case POO does not get it's funds for organization costs
directly, these funds must be earned by work or obtained through budgets
of the different projects POO initiates or supports (as often suggested
by funders), and POO will then come in an entire different situation. Or
POO will not be able to focus and concentrate on it's aims in the target
area's (because it's out in the world working to earn money for it's
organization) or POO has to use preremptory sentences to every
organization or group it is cooperating with, in order to receive enough
income for the overall organization.
In our point of view both solutions are expressions of feebleness. Such
a way of working supports confusion inside the situation POO has to
work, which is already instable. With taking a note about the modest
budget POO is able to work with, it seems to us that it is most
important that implementing organization with extreme low overhead costs
and great experience on the ground, like POO and others, must get
support from bigger donators and funds, so they can continue their work
with full spirit and attention.
It must be mentioned that many organizations are leaving BiH. There are
other problems in former Yugoslavia and other parts of the world. The
effect of the departure of many organizations will be very big in BiH.
Therefor it is very important that supporting organizations who's aim is
self-initiative and selfdeployment, will get the possibility to
continue. In case this will not be possible, only a very small and
egocentric minded part of the population will be able to profit from the
efforts and investments the international community has done in the past
four years in BiH.
Another conclusion is that POO, and other supporting organizations,
should have the time to focus on other parts than Sarajevo. This town
has 'came over the war'. Only local politicians, designated as
'frustrating' by the spokesman of the chief of the OHR, still remind on
the war of four years ago.
The rest of the country is still in a very bad condition. Ordinary
people speak less and less about nationalism and problems that match wih
it. They all are dramatically looking for posibilities to build up their
life, they look for work and for respect for the work they do. Only that
can give a vision of the future for which they would like to work. POO
has the intention to work on this task since het roots are grown deeply
inside the society. Wa ask direct, practical and strong support from the
world among us.
The recommendation to funds and donors is to actively stimulate
developments as mentioned above and support the small organization that
use a little imput while creating a big output in cooperation with the
local community. POO works with two employees and two free lance
employees and uses a budget over the year equal to a three month salary
of a low paid international employee of a humanitairian (or polotical)
organization.
It reminds me a little to a spokeswoman of UN who was speaking about the
gap in the yearbudget of the reconstruction of Kosovo of 150 million
(78% of the complete budget). An amount that equals one and a half day
of bombing.
Such a differences must be taken out whatever the rules are, made before
these enormous differences occurred.
So the work of humanitairian organisations will have the same impact on
the local situation as it has to have on the home situation of the
donors (or bombers).
With friendly regards and carefully pointing our finger, we have asked attention for the above mentioned.
Thank you.