by Peter Mikuliak
One afternoon last April, I was "surfing the Web" with our office computer in Metkovic, Croatia, searching for news about Bosnia and Herzegovina and discovered the web site of Pacific Interactive Media, "Berserkistan." It showed promise. Its menu presented a thorough collection of news stories about Bosnia that I hadn't seen elsewhere, and even suggested ways to get involved. That was when I noticed a link in the corner of the screen -- a graphic icon, showing the face of a child I didn't recognize, with the question, "Can this child's leg be saved?"
Clicking on the image, I found photographer Cynthia Lee's story about a 12-year-old Bosnian boy named Elvis from a village near Bihac. A year ago, Elvis and his brother, Edis, discovered a rocket grenade while playing. It exploded, killing Edis while severely wounding Elvis's legs. A local physician, like most Bosnian physicians throughout this damned war, worked wonders with limited equipment, but now Elvis needed micro-surgery, something not available in the Balkans. This message was not a drill -- it was a cry for help.
I recalled a conversation I had when I was back home celebrating Easter in Pennsylvania. I was introduced to a young orthopedic intern, Dr. Anna Marie Chwastiak, who learned that I was doing relief and development work in Bosnia. She told me that she and some colleagues would be interested in helping out in some way. She asked me to let them know of any possibilities. "Sure," I said. Now her voice was now ringing in my ears.
The next step was simple. Just a few clicks took me into the e-mail program where I wrote a brief note. I sent it to Cynthia via Berserkistan in southern California, with a copy to Anna Marie sent via TV station WNEP in northeast Pennsylvania. That was it. That's all I did.
A month later I received a progress report. Things were falling into place. Medical records had been sent and a plan was designed. The physicians of Janet Weis Children's Hospital at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville offered to donate the operation and post-operation therapy. Cynthia coordinated things internationally, arranging round-trip airfare for Elvis and his father through Macedonian Outreach. Peter Maxwell of the Swiss charity Terre des Hommes provided logistical support within Bosnia and Croatia. With Scranton's WNEP TV station leading the charge, local support was organized through the Kiwanis Foundation, while the Ronald McDonald House provided lodging. A host of other people contributed their ideas, energies and resources.
In late June, together with Cynthia and Peter, I had the honor of visiting with Elvis and his family in their village. On July 1, Elvis, his father and Cynthia boarded the plane in Zagreb. Since then, several operations have been performed successfully, including bone and skin grafts. Elvis has taken his first, tentative steps. He and his father will be home soon.
What happened was not merely the result of a series of coincidences. Too many things came together in mysterious ways. But the success of this story poses an immense challenge to us: "What do we really need to do with the new communication technology now at our disposal?"
Many people seem mainly aware of the problems and dangers of the Internet. But good people can also use this tool for doing good things, if they are smart enough and quick enough to seize the initiative.
The Elvis story proves that the thoughtful use of the Internet can encourage projects to take on a symbiotic life of their own. There is an essential, creative sort of anarchy in this new structure of communication which, while it cannot be controlled, can be tinkered with and skillfully nudged. What's more, innovative use of the Internet can not only discover new resources: it can virtually create them where they did not exist before.
OPF member Peter Mikuliak is Church World Service Regional Director for the Balkans. Formerly he worked with International Orthodox Christian Charities. You can reach him by e-mail (peter.mikuliak@zamir-sa.ztn.apc.org) or find him on the Web (www.icontech.com/baldeagle).
return to the previous page to look at other essays
return to the OPF Home Page