Peace is more than the absence of war. Once the last gun shot is fired, there is still an enormous amount of work to be done.

–Sanela Diana Jenkins–

 

Sanela Diana Jenkins is a bright light in the world. She is a dedicated mother, a philanthropist, an accomplished entrepreneur, and a widely respected and unwavering voice for peace whose experience of war is all too personal.

Born in Bosnia, and the eldest of two, her comfortable childhood was tragically shattered in 1992 when Serbia began its slaughter and displacement of the country’s innocent. She reflects, this is when “hillside snipers made targets of schoolchildren.”

During the war, the heartbreaking murder of her younger brother Irnis forced her to flee Bosnia as a refugee to Croatia. After one year, she moved to London where she eventually attained asylum and sowed the beginnings of a brighter future. She graduated City University with a BS degree and high honors in math and science, all while learning English and supporting her parents back in Sarajevo.

Jenkins is the founder and CEO of Neuro Drinks, an award winning and revolutionary beverage line that conveniently provides essential nutrients for the modern, overtaxed consumer.

She is the founder and CEO of D Empire Entertainment —a full service music label that represents emerging and established artists within the intersection of traditional and innovative media strategy, branding, publicity, recording, distribution and licensing.

She has received international recognition for her tireless peace and justice work, including the Enduring Vision Award from Elton John’s AIDS Foundation, and was hailed as one of the “World’s Top Three Justice Innovations of 2012” by The Hague Institute for the Internationalisation of Law (HiiL).

Her incredible philanthropic work has raised millions of dollars for relief and sustainable, localized humanitarian efforts in Haiti, Darfur, and Bosnia, with a focus on social justice, human rights, and AIDS research. These efforts are channeled into many organizations, including the Elton John AIDS Foundation and The Clinton Foundation.

She produced “Room 23” with the help of her friends, including George Clooney, Cindy Crawford, Ludacris, Elton John and many others. The proceeds from this book benefit several human rights programs.

Her own foundations and projects include The Irnis Catic Foundation (in memory of her brother), The Sanela Diana Jenkins Foundation for Bosnia, The Sanela Diana Jenkins Human Rights Project at the UCLA School of Law, The Sanela Diana Jenkins Clinic on Gender Violence in Eastern Congo, and the Jenkins/Penn Haiti Relief Organization.