Vildana Ibrahimović – A woman who tackles challenges head on

A life worthy of man is the desire of every individual. Living from your work, pushing your boundaries, contributing to your family and community in today’s time of world crises and political turmoil is a real challenge. Being a woman who tackles that challenge carries an additional burden but also the sweetness when success is achieved.

Through its many years of activity and especially through the projects of Socio-Economic Strengthening of Local Communities in BiH financed by the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany, the Help organization strives to be a strong “wind in the sails” of citizens with a focus on the development of new and strengthening of existing family and individual businesses. Special attention is paid to vulnerable categories of society, which unfortunately include women. That is why we are especially proud of each of their successes, and one such success is the success of our client Vildana Ibrahimović from Doboj.

Vildana’s life story is not much different from the stories of other young women in Bosnia and Herzegovina who are employed in one of the small textile factories in their local communities and who thus earn a minimum wage. Her story takes a different course when one of her family members becomes ill, when she has to leave her job in order to provide the best care for her loved one. There are also two young children and the need to be a wizard in order to meet all of life’s needs and challenges. However, one has to work in order to live because her husband’s income is not sufficient for a decent life.

Vildana does not lack knowledge and skills for the creation and production of clothing. She was encouraged to start working in a makeshift roastery on the family home ground floor. The equipment at her disposal was old and inadequate, and they were a major limitation for any significant entry into the market. The machines were slow, the scissors were manual and caused serious blisters on the hands.

Through the realization of this year’s project in the area of the City of Doboj, the Help organization recognized Vildana’s potential and decided to support her. The necessary sewing and processing machines as well as an electric knife for cutting textiles were acquired by the project.

Less than a month after receiving the donation, Vildana received her first serious business opportunity. After she encouraged herself to send an offer, a local sports club ordered 150 tracksuits of different sizes for its members. The project was successfully implemented to everyone’s satisfaction.

“I am overwhelmed with joy” says Vildana. “Now I have the conditions to offer my products to a wider market because I can offer the required quantities and meet the deadlines. Quality is my imperative. I’m hoping that soon I can earn enough money to get another machine to replace another old one I’m currently using. That would bring me even closer to new business opportunities, and then I would be able to achieve my dream of having a small successful company that would also provide other young women with the opportunity for employment in a friendly environment”.

We believe that Vildana’s success story will be an inspiration to other women and young people to believe in themselves, their abilities and their successes. We also believe that this story will show the importance of the support provided by the German Government through the organization Help, but also the support of other potential donors, for the economic development of individuals and local communities in Bosnia and Herzegovina.