Many women returning to Bosnia and Herzegovina after the war are now the sole breadwinners in their families, due to the deaths of husbands or fathers. To help these women get back on their feet, a Washington, DC-based group has started a "micro-lending" program to create and support income-generating projects for low or no income families.

Modeled after the successful Grameen Bank micro-lending program in Bangladesh, the Bosnian program is the work of Women for Women in Bosnia and its founder and president, Zainab Salbi. "The goal of this project is to help women refugees rebuild their lives, and help reconstruct the country and economy," said Salbi. The program will provide collateral-free loans to start small businesses. In addition, the project will also introduce educational programs such as how to run a business.

Salbi has already raised $60,000 to start the program, and will travel to Bangladesh this summer to pick up an additional $50,000 from the Grameen Bank. In Bosnia, she will work in conjunction with a Bosnian women’s group, Zena 21, to distribute the money to women. For more information, or to donate to the program, contact Women for Women in Bosnia, 1725 K St. NW #611, Washington, DC 20006, (202) 822-1391.