Volu m e I - Purdue University Calumet

present.
One area in which Bosnian NGO's, with American financing, have been striving for success is the
implementation of educational reforms. The education system in Bosnia still bears the scars of the ethnic
conflict in that there are segregated schools and separate curricula in certain regions of the country.
According to the American Embassy in Sarajevo, in some areas Croat pupils go to school in the morning, with
one set of teachers and administrators, while the Serb children attend in the afternoon, with a different set of
teachers and administrators. In rare instances, the playgrounds are divided by barbed wire. The curricula
differ in at least two significant ways — religion and history. First, religion is allowed to be taught in the
schools, however, all religions are not taught equally. Rather specific religions are presented and differing
viewpoints are depicted in a negative manner. Children are allowed to opt out of this religious instruction but
then are placed in the uncomfortable position of standing out and being a target of ridicule by their peers. In
addition, history is presented from an ethnic vantage point in these segregated schools. The United States
Embassy in Sarajevo is currently facilitating a cultural exchange program involving Martin Luther King III and
these segregated schools. Using the reputation of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the successes of the
American Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's, efforts are being made to reduce segregation in Bosnian
schools. An embassy official familiar with the effort said, "The United States has struggled with these issues
and overcome them. We have much to say, if only we are not arrogant about teaching it". Unfortunately,
King's efforts have met with only a modest measure of success to date.
The land mine awareness groups probably enjoy the most success in terms of civil society
organizations that reach across ethnic lines and serve to enhance Bosnian society. The Genesis Project, for
example, focuses on safety via education in the aftermath of the war where all combatants used land mines.
Over two million such land mines were placed across Bosnia between 1992 and 1995. As of 2008, over
1,000,000 landmines still litter the Bosnian country side giving it the dubious distinction of having one of the
most significant land mine problems in the world (Genesis Project). NGO's and governmental organizations,
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