By Sarah Lobegeiger

The installation of a new reservoir and 900 metres of water pipeline has given households in the isolated village of Klis, in eastern Bosnia and Herzegovnia, much needed access to running water.

Almedina, 5, looks up, her eyes gleaming with delight. Visitors seldom come to her village, tucked away in the forest and only accessible by a rough and winding dirt road. Klis is but one of many small mountain villages in Bosnia and Herzegovina that has experienced the repercussions of isolation and poverty.

'My mum does not need to go and collect the water anymore. Now we switch on the boiler and heat the water. We have warm water. It's easier to shower. My sister likes the water, too,' said Almedina.

Her father, Mujo Kadric, 40, nods his head in agreement.

'The basis of life is water,' he muses philosophically as the hardened lines on a face, too old for 40 years, ease into a smile. 'World Vision has made a basis for life. We can't develop anything without water – livestock, agriculture – even life.'

Mujo, who was retrenched last year by a local wood factory, speaks with the voice of experience. The lack of income has made the necessity of self-sufficiency even stronger. He now grows vegetables and cares for the livestock needed to feed his family.

Without a running water supply indoors, villagers had to collect and transport water in buckets from a makeshift water pipe, 500 metres away from their homes. This was difficult in the harsh, Winter months. The cold however was not the only threat for the villagers of Klis, which is known for its plummeting temperatures and frosty Winters. Klis' proximity to the forest brings other dangers. Wolves and bears often enter the village and have been known to attack domestic pets.

Almedina knows to stay close to the house.

'I play with my dolls and tea-set outside in the Summer when the weather is nice. I like to play with my sister, too. We make tea together…in the Winter I like to make a snowman with a carrot for the nose.'

Almedina's sister, Amina, 7, is at school today.

'I am waiting for her to come home,' says Almedina enthusiastically.

During Winter, however, Amina must leave her village and family.

Depending upon snowfall, access to the village can be cut off for up to 20 days – and school aged children must stay with families that live closer to the local school.

With an estimated number of 20 inhabitants, Klis had been at the end of a list of greater priorities.

'Many people left the village after the war looking for better lives… But some of us did not have the chance. The village is different now. We used to have 70 kids before the war, now we have about 12. Some homes are still destroyed. It's easy to be forgotten about out here. After all, what is a village without people?' questioned Mujo.

In a country still recovering from the ravaging effects of the 1992-1995 war, the lack of a suitable water supply, sanitation and adequate roads in remote rural areas has often been overlooked by municipalities and local councils.

World Vision Taiwan donated US$7,400, supported by an additional US$5,500 from the municipality to build the 10 cubic metre reservoir and provide the main water supply pipes and secondary pipes. Local community members helped provide labour for the project.