Charity of the Month: Counting the cost of war

FOR A charity that has raised pounds 46,000 during the first 12 months of its life, the Bosnia & Herzegovina Fund of Britain could almost be said to have done its job too well. Its aim is to send money out as quickly as possible to help the victims - regardless of their race or religion - of the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina, and to pare down administrative costs.

And while Jasmina Ljubar, the fund's co-founder who last heard news of her own relatives in Sarajevo several months ago, has kept costs to the minimum, she and the other trustees have found spending the money surprisingly difficult. It aimed to send at least two lorry-loads of aid to the area each month but so far has only managed 11 journeys.

'We haven't been able to spend our money. We were feeling seriously and embarrassingly wealthy until we bought an eight-ton lorry last week,' explains Ms Ljuhar. Being a small charity it has been necessary to join forces with others in order to get medical supplies, food and blankets out to Bosnia; even this has proved more complex than anticipated.

Its first contribution, last August, was a filled lorry joining a convoy to Sarajevo. 'The convoy lost a lorry - there were rumours it was stolen. It seemed to be chaotic and frightening and we were advised that it wasn't a good idea,' says Ms Ljuhar.

The organisation then sent two lots of medical supplies, accompanied each time by one of its members - most of whom are Bosnians living in Britain - to Travnik. They then switched their attention to Zagreb, where, until recently, they had a contact who ensured their contributions were sent on to Brcko, in north east Bosnia.

As hostilities increased, the charity no longer felt happy about its aid going through Zagreb. 'We cannot guarantee that it will not stop in Zagreb and be used by the Bosnian army or on the black market,' explains Ms Ljuhar.

The newly acquired lorry, which cost pounds 3,055, will join a larger European convoy next month, destined for Tuzla. The lorry will contain non-perishable food, such as tinned vegetables and fruit, packet soups, pasta and rice. 'The British public has been immensely generous, there is never a problem filling a lorry,' says Ms Ljuhar.

Once the lorry has delivered its cargo it will return to Britain, be filled once again, and sent to Split, where the organisation has developed contacts with a local charity. 'We haven't had a meeting about this yet, but I think we will then donate the lorry for use in Split,' says Ms Ljuhar. Split, on the Adriatic coast, is the base for other voluntary organisations running convoys into central Bosnia.

The next step for the fund will be to send pounds 10,000 in German marks to the charity in Split, so that it can buy flour and other essentials for Sarajevo. 'This seems to be a more effective and economical way of dealing with the situation. Our contact there is Lidija Hamzic and she is 100 per cent trustworthy and utterly formidable: apparently she makes soldiers quiver with fright and always insists on receipts,' says Ms Ljuhar.

Meanwhile, the charity - which is aware that Bosnia will not be in the limelight forever but will nevertheless need help for a long time to come - continues to raise funds: rattling tins outside supermarkets, holding jumble sales and regular Bosnian evenings in London.

A greetings card company has promised a percentage of its card sales this Christmas, and a record company is making a donation from the sales of a recently released pop record. Jiri Boakye-Danquah, a student at London University, has raised pounds 1,000 for the charity with a 4,000-mile sponsored bicycle ride.

Many of these donations have been unsolicited. 'I think people are attracted to us because we are non-specific - we have a Catholic, a Jew and a Muslim as our patrons,' says Ms Ljuhar. 'This reflects our membership and the religious and racial harmony in Bosnia and Herzegovina before this terrible ethnic cleansing began,'

The Bosnia & Herzegovina Fund of Britain, 20 Duriston Road, Upper Clapton, London E5 8RR (081 806 0979).

(Photograph omitted)