The Region 4 clubs are closely bound by geography and have developed a unique collaborative regional approach to sharing events, news, and philanthropic projects. In May, Bosnia and Hercegovina were struck by disastrous flooding. Bosnian ANCOR club member Lejla Sipkar-Ceric sent out a plea to the Rotterdam membership: “The past few days my home country Bosnia and Hercegovina has been struck by tragic floods. People are still being evacuated, homes have been destroyed, these people have lost everything. Help is needed in material and financial way.”  

She included information from the Bosnian Foundation Platform (BiH) organization with Dutch coordination contacts, supply lists, and collection locations for members to make financial or goods donations.

Using social media and communications contacts, ANCOR alerted our sister clubs AWC The Hague and ACW Amsterdam about the desperate situation in Bosnia. Lejla stepped forward as a coordinator. Within days, all the Dutch clubs had made contact with BiH to support the rescue and recovery efforts with donations.

Mary Adams and Lejla Sipkar-Ceric
ANC Rotterdam