The constant rise in prices of basic necessities and services in Bosnia and Herzegovina has led to a significant increase in the number of users of “Merhamet” public kitchens in Banja Luka, Novi Grad and Kozarska Dubica.
“Merhamet” emphasizes that new requests for hot meals arrive every day, but that despite the challenges, they strive to help everyone in need, in accordance with the available resources.
The financial crisis in the country is affecting all strata of society, including those with average incomes. For many citizens without a permanent income or with minimal salaries and pensions, survival is becoming a real struggle.
In recent months, the number of users of “Merhamet” kitchens in the Republika Srpska has been growing rapidly.
“The growth of users is at least 20 percent. Every month we receive between 50 and 70 new requests, and every ten days another 30 people come seeking inclusion in our services,” explained Jasmin Spahić, director of the Regional Board of “Merhamet” Banja Luka.
Additional challenges are expected with the announced increases in electricity prices for businesses, which will inevitably cause a chain reaction of price increases for other products and services.
“Statistics clearly show that the number of users of our kitchens will continue to grow proportionally to the increase in prices. People are losing their jobs and cannot cope in these difficult conditions. Unfortunately, the situation is equally bad throughout the country,” Spahić warned.
He emphasizes that “Merhamet” is guided by the principle of not turning anyone away. Their volunteers and employees visit potential users every day to assess their real need for hot meals.
“If we determine that a person is truly in need, we do everything we can to provide them with at least one meal a day,” Spahić emphasizes.
Despite the difficult conditions, “Merhamet” continues to provide assistance to the most vulnerable with the support of its donors and appeals to all institutions, legal entities and individuals to support their work and projects in order to jointly ease the burden of the crisis for the most vulnerable citizens.
Photo: archive
