BY DAVE BENJAMIN
Staff Writer
Kristin Mauro FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP — To a nation whose children have only known war, smiles will soon be on the way.
Kristen Mauro, 16, a sophomore at Freehold Township High School, will be traveling to Bosnia from June 19 to July 3 with a group from her church, Hope Lutheran Church, Elton-Adelphia Road, to spread good will and put smiles on the faces of children through games, gifts and giving from the heart.
“[Our group] of 25 adults and teenagers ages 16 and up will be traveling all over Bosnia and I will be in the southern part of the country,” Kristen said. “We will be going to schools in different towns and in the schools we will be setting up day camps.”
The group of 25 will be divided in two after they arrive in the capital city, Sarajevo. Kristen’s southern route will take her to Gorazde, Foca, Potoci, Mostar, Sipovo, Travnik, Visoko, Vojkovici and then back to Sarajevo.
Kristen said the camps are set up at schools and orphanages. Many of the children have already gone to the program and are familiar with the Americans. Most of the children who attend the camps are between the ages
of 6 and 11. Once there, the children
experience a variety of activities, games, sports and arts and crafts.
“We try to make it fun, but we also realize that [the children] have to go home,” Kristen said.
Kristen said although it is one day of fun, she and her fellow Americans try to make it last a little longer by giving the children tote bags that are hand-decorated.
“We have over 2,500 to make,” Kristen said, “so I got my class involved. I took 72 of them and brought them to my international studies class with Mrs. (Nancy) Wallace. Everybody decorated one, two, three or four. They all did a very good job, putting on things that would make people feel happy. Nothing religious. We tried to keep words out of it although some of the children speak some English. Most of them don’t. There are a lot of flowers and hearts. We give them loot bags with crayons, pens, handkerchiefs [and other items] to play with so they can have something after the camp ends. All these kids are coming from rough situations. Some are orphans or they’re extremely poor. All they know is war.”
She said the aim of the Americans is to give the Bosnian children a day to have fun and to learn there is still love and peace in the world.
“Friendship camps is what we call them,” she said.
Kristen said the group members may live in a hotel in a larger city like Sarajevo, but in smaller towns they stay in host homes.
Kristen became involved with the trip after learning about the experience from other teenagers at her church.
“It kind of inspired me and I thought it would be such a wonderful thing to do,” she said. “I always wanted to go to some country that could use help and some love. When this came about, I thought this was the best way to give it. I’m really looking forward to seeing their faces and how happy they are to see us, to see people coming from a country where we are so well off [that we are able] to take time out to be with them and just care about them.”