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Ambassador Murphy visits CEI Nahla
On October 23, 2023, on the occasion of the successful completion of the project “Building a Culture of Excellence in Hospitality – Training for an Innovative Tourism Experience in the Una-Sana Canton”, a delegation led by the U.S. Ambassador to BiH, Michael J. Murphy, visited Nahla’s branch office in Bihać. The project, through which 136 participants improved their tourism-related skills, was implemented thanks to the support of the American people through USAID’s Developing Sustainable Tourism in Bosnia and Herzegovina (Turizam) project. The delegation was welcomed on behalf of CEI Nahla by the president and founder of the center, Sehija Dedović, together with her colleagues.
The President of CEI Nahla presented the long-standing work of Nahla’s educational centers and the many ways in which Nahla encourages and empowers women in their personal and professional development, as well as the positive impact this has on society.
Key results of the project “Building a Culture of Excellence in Hospitality – Training for an Innovative Tourism Experience in the Una-Sana Canton” were also presented:
- A total of 136 tourism workers and unemployed persons from across the Una-Sana Canton had the opportunity to improve their skills in maintaining hygiene standards in tourist facilities, advance their hospitality skills, and strengthen their English language knowledge.
- Cooperation was established with 14 businesses that provided training for their employees, and what is particularly encouraging is that 17 out of 40 previously unemployed participants found jobs during or after the training. In addition to Bihać, Nahla also delivered these trainings in Bosanska Krupa and Cazin. The City of Bosanska Krupa provided a training venue, while the Center for Culture and Tourism Cazin not only provided space but also included its staff and volunteers in the training.
- An added value of the project, which remains as a permanent legacy to the local community, is the production of 18 video lessons now integrated into TurizamAcademy, an educational platform for tourism workers. These lessons are available to all tourism professionals in BiH for further skills development.
Ambassador Murphy expressed his enthusiasm for the tourism potential of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Una-Sana Canton, but also emphasized the need for significantly greater investment in tourism, as well as continuous education and promotion, to better harness these opportunities in the future. He highlighted the U.S. Government’s efforts to support projects that contribute to stronger economic development and tourism sustainability, enabling workers in this sector to acquire modern skills and knowledge for providing high-quality tourism services.
The meeting at CEI Nahla in Bihać was also attended by Karl Wurster, Director of USAID’s Economic Development Office in BiH; representatives of the USAID Developing Sustainable Tourism in Bosnia and Herzegovina project, Nina Kovač and Jasenka Ćorić; Zineta Horozović, Executive Director of CEI Nahla Bihać; Emina Šahinović, project coordinator; Elma Begić, one of the hospitality-skills trainers; and training participants Sandra Pačić and married couple Niels and Esther van Sloten, who shared their experience of participating in the trainings and how it helped them improve their family tourism business.
After touring the center and getting acquainted with Nahla’s educational offerings and working concept, Ambassador Murphy was particularly impressed by what Nahla does for the local community and the extent to which it considers the ecosystem surrounding its beneficiaries, offering a specially tailored spectrum of services in response.
