The northern town of Šamac is filled with children’s voices and joy again. The reason for excitement is the start of the new school year and rehabilitated school facilities with EU assistance, which were damaged in the floods in May 2014.
“It is great to be back to school and see mates after the three months we spent apart,” says Dejan, a fourth grader. Sandra, who started her secondary education this year, notes that the school looks nice. “Everything is so clean and new, you can smell the freshness. Let’s hope it is also going to be a fresh and positive start for all of us.”
The rehabilitation of the Primary School “Šamac” and of the High School “Nikola Tesla” has been financed by the European Union’s Floods Recovery Programme in the amount of 1.4 million KM. The city’s kindergarten and health care centre are next on the list for rehabilitation. “We are glad that urgently needed assistance to the citizens of Šamac was secured through the Programme,” says Andy McGuffie, Spokesperson of the EU Delegation to BiH/EU Special Representative Office.
Floods have caused enormous damage to Šamac and its citizens. “The height of water in some places was well over two and a half meters, and the city’s infrastructure, schools included, was practically soaking in water for 12 days,“ said Slobodan Čeliković, Director of the Primary School “Šamac.”
Primary and secondary schools share a playground and both buildings were heavily affected by the floods – the water completely destroyed the ground floors and damaged furniture and equipment from the cabinets, as well as the entire school library collection. Therefore, refurbishing of all the cabinets and replacement of indoor and outdoor carpentry were required, along with restoring the installations and the entire heating system. Also the school sports hall and playground have been revitalised.
“Thanks to the European Union’s financial assistance, we managed to have most of the premises ready to start with classes on 1 September. The works continue on the reconstruction of the roof of the primary school and outside walls, which are still drying,“ adds Čeliković, while thanking all those who provided assistance enabling the children from Šamac to continue their education.
The Floods Recovery Programme is worth 43.52 million Euro, out of which EU co-finances 42.24 million Euro to help affected communities in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Programme is implemented by UNDP, UNICEF and IOM.
For more information, visit the EU Floods Recovery Programme feature page
