In recent years, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) has seen a trend of young people leaving in search of better opportunities and a higher quality of life. Many factors encourage them to seek happiness abroad. However, there are also those who return, and their stories are often inspirational.
Ena Zolic decided to return to Bihac six years ago from Germany, where she was born and completed her studies. With passion, energy, and enthusiasm, she established a hazelnut plantation on five dunams of land. This year, she is already harvesting a significant amount of produce to sell on the market. And she doesn’t plan to stop there. While she admits it can be tiring, she says the key is to love what you do.
“I conducted various studies on which crop would be best to plant here. I found that the climate conditions are ideal for hazelnuts. I had this idea for a long time. Yes, it’s physically demanding, but I love it. When you love something and do it with a lot of passion, it’s not exhausting. Especially when I have people around me whom I love and who are a great support – then it’s a mix of jokes, singing, and music, and the day passes quickly. In the end, when I look at what we’ve created, it’s just… nothing beats that,” says Ena Zolic Uzejnovic, entrepreneur.
Ena is simultaneously working on expanding her plantation, and planting new crops, and is also planning to purchase necessary agricultural machinery, which is necessary to boost production. Her husband, who is a great source of support, helps her with both the business and ideas.
“I decided to support Ena in this whole journey, in this beauty, to help her wherever I can. I’m very, very proud of Ena for starting this with her own hands. This work is soul-refreshing. I usually do something different – I work in IT – so this is really a break for the soul,” said Ahmed Uzejnovic, her husband.
With her own example, Ena hopes to show young people that with hard work and dedication, they can achieve their dreams even in BiH.
“Every time I hear that someone has left, I genuinely feel sad because I believe that no matter where you are in the world, you can always find a way to start a business. You just need to believe in yourself. I think young people with ideas often stop before they start because they lack the courage or wonder if they’ll succeed if it will amount to anything. Maybe they don’t have enough support, but if you don’t try, you’ll never succeed,” Ena Zolic Uzejnovic explained.
Ena’s story is proof that no foreign sun warms like home. She exchanged a secure future in Germany for a harder and more uncertain path, confident that she would ultimately succeed, BHRT writes.
