Barbara Jurisic (51) from Belgium is a trained psychologist and has been working in humanitarian aid for many years, including several years for Médecins sans Frontières, Médecins du Monde and the ICRC, mainly in Africa and Asia. She not only brings extensive expertise and experience, but also the empathy that Lotti Latrous had always hoped for in her successor.
Barbara was born in Croatia to a Croatian father and a Belgian mother. She grew up in the picturesque coastal town of Makarska, where she completed her primary and secondary education. During her final year of high school, the onset of war drastically changed the region: tourists disappeared while refugees from Croatia and Bosnia sought shelter. These experiences profoundly shaped Barbara’s life path.
In 1992, she moved to Belgium to continue her studies in psychology, focusing on trauma at the Université Libre de Bruxelles. During her studies, she actively participated in humanitarian aid missions in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. After obtaining her Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology (1997) and a specialized diploma in Clinical Psychotherapy (1998), she began her professional career with the Belgian Red Cross, working initially in asylum seeker reception centers and later in the Emergency Social Intervention Service.
After two years, the call of her homeland became too strong, and she returned to Croatia. Between 2002 and 2009, she worked in the tourism industry, leading the development and management of small hotels, apartments, and villas on the Dalmatian islands and coast.
In 2009, Barbara decided to return to her true passion: humanitarian work. She began her international career in Juba, South Sudan. She worked in the field for Médecins Sans Frontières, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and Médecins du Monde and at MSF headquarters in Brussels. Her assignments took her to Africa (South Sudan, DR Congo, Eritrea, Sierra Leone, Cameroon, Nigeria, Uganda, Sudan), Asia (Pakistan, Afghanistan, the Philippines, Lebanon), the Caribbean (Haiti), and Europe (Bosnia and Herzegovina). She managed medical humanitarian programs in both emergency and long-term settings, including epidemic response (Ebola, measles, cholera), hospital management (trauma, maternal and child health, infectious diseases), as well as primary healthcare and mental health projects.
At Centre Espoir, Barbara found a project with a deeply human and holistic approach. Here, every individual—whether a child at Oaziz, a patient receiving outpatient or inpatient care, a senior at Ayoba Village, or a team member—is welcomed with respect, and their specific needs are carefully considered. Professional medical, social, and emotional support is provided to ensure each person receives the care they need.