More than 250 families in three villages near Mostar — Lokve, Bivolje Brdo, and Gradina-Pocitelj — have received agricultural assistance from Church World Service.

So, in late June, they gave something back: More than 12 tons of potatoes they harvested were picked up for delivery, bound for use in soup kitchens throughout Bosnia-Herzegovina.

It was an example of "payback" — a way that one donation to a community can support an even larger group of people, said Project Manager Dzevad Avdagic of CWS/Sarajevo. The communities have agreed to "pay back" 100 percent of their initial assistance — in this case, the harvest from 22,000 kilos of seed potatoes.

The payback of fresh potatoes was most welcome in seven soup kitchens throughout the country, where more than 6,000 people receive food.

Hika Sator, one of the men loading the truck of potatoes in Lokve, said "payback" is an example of Bosnians helping fellow Bosnians. "The only thing that is important to me," he said, "is that the person eating these potatoes is hungry."

Village leader and delivery co-coordinator Zulfo Rahic said the delivery was also a way to thank CWS for its initial assistance.

Avdagic said the program is an example of CWS work in Bosnia which is committed to moving from emergency assistance to rehabilitation and eventually to self-sufficiency.

"We're here from beginning to end," said Avdagic.

That is a governing philosophy for the CWS Balkans Program, which has been providing relief and rehabilitation assistance in the region since 1993 — from the height of the Balkans wars until today.

CWS and its partners have implemented a variety of programs that are providing material resources, agricultural inputs, micro-enterprise support, and income generation loans in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Serbia.

As the embers from the Balkans wars die down, and the region settles into something of an uneasy peace, CWS is slowly moving away from emergency-related work — often called “relief” — and into longer-term development projects.

But as CWS Balkans Director Vitali Vorona notes, the line between emergency and development work is not always distinct: In many areas of the Balkans, emergency needs can continue while development work begins. That is why CWS has placed much emphasis on integrating development and relief. “We know what the risks are in creating dependence on paternalistic relief aid,” he said. “That is why we focus on assistance that empowers people and helps them generate their own resources.”

Vorona calls this a “break-even point” — the point or level where vulnerable people can finally provide for their basic needs.

Another principle? Promoting the sometimes-fragile process of reconciliation. This is done through multi-ethnic organizing: The families who contributed to the potato harvest are both Serbs and Muslims, and their food will benefit people based on need — not on ethnic background. “Experience shows that assistance directed towards single ethnic entities tends to deepen ethnic divisions,” explains Vorona.

Now, the families near Mostar have delivered more than 25 tons of potatoes to the soup kitchens, and they plan to deliver another 10 tons soon. These families are not only on their way to independence — they are assisting others who will benefit from a meal prepared with their freshly harvested potatoes. And in the process, help to build peace in a country still struggling with the legacy of war.