The images of the short but brutal war in Kosovo are long-gone from CNN, but the horror of war remains. In the ethnic cleansing practiced by the Serbs, 10,000 people were killed, mostly men, leaving thousands of widows and their children behind. Even those women fortunate not to have lost husbands and fathers still struggle, as the unemployment rate for men is about 80% in this war-ravaged land. In the culture of this land, it is the man’s role to earn the family’s living, and few women have the work skills necessary to support a family.

The village of Kaçanik (pronounced “Kachanick”) and its surrounding area is home to about 40,000, and has seen its share of death, destruction and decimation from the war. It is here that CAMA Services, the relief arm of the Christian and Missionary Alliance (C&MA) has been working to reach out to the Kosovar widows. CAMA“s motto is ”turning relief into belief.” CAMA’s representative, Dianna Ullrich, is working to establish a women’s center in Kaçanik, where classes in English will be taught, social services will be offered and the CAMA Crafts project will be centered. CAMA realizes that one of the greatest needs of the women is a means of making an income, and to do so, they are helping the women start a small business where their culturally-developed skills at crochet can be turned into marketable products that can, in turn, be sold in the US. The crocheting skill of the women is simply amazing, and products include doilies, placemats, table scarves and tablecloths. Around 180 women are currently in the program.