Herzegovina on its feet: Large campaign for former fighter Šemsudin who was left alone with five children

Last night in Stolac, a campaign to collect aid for the five children of Šemsudin Ćehić, a demobilized fighter of the Army of RBiH from Bihać, began. On Monday, while he was at protests with his comrades in front of the FBiH Government in Sarajevo, he was informed that his wife had passed away from a heart attack while watching the news about what was happening with her husband and other former fighters at the protests, writes the Patria news agency.  

Yesterday, the funeral for this woman was held in Bihać. She is survived by her husband and five minor children, four sons and among them the youngest daughter who is 18 months old.

- I spoke with Šemsudin yesterday morning and felt deeply shaken and affected. The heavy male tears and the trembling voice of despair through crying, saying that he cannot and does not know how to explain to the children what happened to their mother and why they no longer have her, says journalist Nermin Bise for NAP, who is also the initiator of this humanitarian campaign in Stolac.  

A similar campaign in Mostar is being conducted by the association "Together for Our City" Mostar, led by former fighter Nermin Mehić and activists of that association.

- Elvir Bešo joined me in volunteering in Stolac, and yesterday we just set up these boxes for voluntary collection of monetary donations for the children of Šemsudin Ćehić. The imam of the Careva Mosque in Stolac also told us to set up a box in front of the mosque today, and that he will ask the faithful in his regular Friday sermon to respond to this campaign. Many thanks to the owners of the markets in Stolac, Hercegovina promet, owner Salko Frenjo, and Eso Promet, owner Esad Obardović, as well as the owner of the restaurant Han in Stolac, Dževad Obradović, where these boxes for voluntary donations from citizens have been placed, Bise states and adds: 

- The campaign will last for seven days, after which the collected money will be withdrawn from the boxes, photographed and counted, and all data will be publicly announced with the total amount collected in this campaign. With friends from the association "Together for Our City" Mostar, who will come with a van into which groceries and goods for Ćehić in Bihać will be loaded, which will be collected together in Mostar and Stolac, we will set off for Bihać and deliver the aid, which will also be fully documented with photographs and a detailed report.

Bise says that their monetary contributions for this campaign have already been made by: Suada Sivro (100 KM), Eso Obradović (50 KM), Luka Raguž (20 KM)....

The citizens' association "Together for Our City" from Mostar, led by Nermin Mehić, has also launched a campaign to collect aid for Šemsudin Ćehić. Mehić tells us that the Facebook groups "Let's Show the Heart of BiH" led by Dragana Nižić-Prce from Čapljina, "From Heart to Heart" led by Ina Spahić, and "Better Life" led by Maja Mendeš have joined this campaign. Those who wish to donate money or food can do so every day at the Association's premises from 10 AM to 12 PM and from 6 PM to 8 PM, Mehić states. 

Volunteers of the Association, Maja and Tea, will collect aid on the streets of Mostar, visiting catering establishments. They have, Mehić notes, official accreditation from the Association and t-shirts with the logo.