Mirela Popaja-Hadžić

PROGRAM DIRECTOR | BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA

Born in Sarajevo in the 1980’s, Mirela had a front row seat to the breakup of Yugoslavia and the siege of Sarajevo. In her twenties, Mirela realized that the war impacted her more deeply than she had previously acknowledged, and this realization launched her into an introspective journey to grapple with and heal from her own trauma. It also catalyzed a process of theological and philosophical reflection about how to lament and embrace the hardships of life. Her own unaddressed grief and trauma came to the surface, and she came to understand the importance of grief as part of the process of healing and reconciliation. 

As a Bosniak Protestant from a Muslim background, Mirela had prejudice toward Serbs and Croats despite the fact that she grew up with them. Dealing with her own grief helped her become open to and connect with people across ethnic divisions, so that she saw their grief, wounds, and stories as similar to her own.

This individual healing process clarified her sense of personal calling and mission: to work for individual and collective healing through mental health and peacebuilding work. She has over 10 years of experience working in both for-profit and non-profit sectors in project coordination, program management, training, facilitation, and translation. She is currently specializing in Gestalt Psychotherapy to become a trauma therapist to more effectively address the unengaged trauma manifesting in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) as depression, anxiety, and addictions. She is also an affiliate trainer with Trauma Free World and holds a Bachelor’s degree in philosophy from the University of Sarajevo.

Support Mirela

Peacebuilding in Bosnia