Srebrenica, July 30: The return of refugees has been easier in the hills around Srebrenica than in the town itself. This afternoon, we are traveling out to visit a Bosfam member, Hasnija Music, who returned here from Tuzla in 2003 and could be a prime candidate for any Bosfam training.

Those familiar with the Advocacy Project may remember the wonderful profiles of Bosnian Muslims that were written for us by Peter Lippman from 1999 onwards. Peter traveled deep into eastern Bosnia and met some heroic characters who were simply determined to regain their homes. They began by pitching their tents up here in the heights, in the bitter winter.

These villages are still attracting most of the returns and seem to be further ahead with ethnic re-integration. This may not be surprising. You can do more with land that a small apartment.

Hasnija Music and her husband Omer have their own awful memories of 1995. Omer joined the death march through the woods, and somehow made it out alive. His father was killed in the massacre and has been reburied at Potocari. Hasnija’s brother and sister in law are still missing.

Happy to be home: Hasnija and children

Headed by Omer’s mother, nine surviving family members returned in 2003 to the plot of land near Osmaci that they had left during the war. They thought that their land was infected by landmines, so they began to rebuild two new houses a few meters away with help from a foundation associated with the former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Beba has high praise for the foundation. Unlike some agencies, they provided everything, including furniture. The house is certainly sturdy.

There is no intimidation from local Serbs. Two of Hasnija’s children (who were born in exile) go to the local school which currently has three students (compared to 35 before the war). Still, says Beba, that’s a start. Mirsada, the oldest, is as bright as a button and getting excellent grades. During the first two grades they learn Cyrillic – this is the Serb Republic – but move to Latin in the third grade. This is an acceptable compromise, similar to the pre-war arrangement. We don’t have time to investigate whether the curriculum is biased towards the Serbs, as I was told on a previous trip.

But while the Music family has much, they are still pitifully vulnerable. The electricity company refused to reconnect the lines, because Omer did not rebuild in exactly the same spot, so they have brought in a line from the other house. This is potentially dangerous.

All nine family members rely on the pension of Omer’s mother, which brings in the equivalent of 225 Euros a month. Under the pension system, husbands who lose wives are entitled to a pension, and vice versa, based on contribution to the system. But the pension for a lost child is much less, even though the child might have been the family breadwinner. Omer does odd jobs in farms.

Beba feels a powerful urge to protect this young family. She fears what might happen if Omer’s mother dies, and is always looking for work for Omer. Today she has bought candy for Mustafa, the youngest child, and clothes for the two girls. Young Mustafa can’t believe his luck as bar after bar of candy comes his way. Shweta, who is much drawn to appealing young creatures, snaps away with her camera.

This is a family that could clearly benefit from a Bosfam training program. By the time she leaves, Beba can already picture Hasnija sitting happily at a loom in Tuzla beside on of her veteran weavers, working on panels for the memorial quilt.