Retired Deeside minister the Rev John Forbes travelled to the Balkans for the 13th time with Scottish Charity Dumfries and Galloway Action.

This year's trip was, however, tinged with a note of sadness for John as, after being a regular visitor to Bosnia since the start of their tragic civil war in the early '90s, this was likely to be the last year this small charity would be fully involved there.

Upon his return, John reported that outwardly the change was impressive, with new buildings and roads improving, but that the country had a long way to go to match the prosperity of Croatia or Slovenia.

"Unemployment is still rife, with a chronic lack of investment in a land that has to find the faith to unite under a single government", he said.

"The Republic Serbska is still separate from the Bosniac Muslim/Croatian alliance, although some progress can be seen with both armies and police forces now combined under one head".

John's team visited many of remote communities living in the hills surrounding Srebrenica - the town of the infamous massacre - and called on first aiders.

They told him about the success of the first aid scheme, which is training 302 volunteers for 164 communities, and learned that their worst hazards were snakes and mines.

"Almir, one of the first aiders visited, showed us a mine in an area of ground only 100 yards from his home", said John.

"The area of that mine has yet to be cleared, along with so many other parts of Bosnia. "More sinister and cruel was that this minefield had been planted a week after the war had ended".

John said it was heartening to learn from the Red Cross, local politicians and the first aiders that in a country that cannot match the outreach and care of our NHS, this scheme was now seen as necessary and had a good chance of continuing and spreading when the charity no longer exists.

"An even more heartening matter was that people across the ethnic divide meet during training and friendships are established", he said.

"The charity is spending some 170,000 Euros to both initiate the project and see it continue".

John felt this trip was the most worthwhile of all the journeys he had undertaken since their civil war began.

"It was also good to know that people here on Deeside and in Galloway were as generous as ever with their donations", he said. "

Thus help could also be given to children in a Roma (Gypsy) community, to disabled children in Tuzla, to a war widows association, to a dog home - where one of the inhabitants took a good bite out of my leg! - and a home where people of all ages and even families had to survive in the single room allotted to them.

"I am so grateful for all the help and encouragement The Piper and its readers have given me in past years and how sad I am to say goodbye to the many friends I have made in Bosnia, who have guided and protected me in the Mercy Corps and now newly-formed CRP".