Sponsor's update from Gracanica, Bosnia

Child sponsorship update from the SOS Children's Village Gracanica, Bosnia from Winter 2008.

Dear Friend,

Whoever comes to visit must admit that SOS Children’s Village Gracanica has special atmosphere that cannot be experienced elsewhere. It is situated on a hill overlooking small town of Gracanica. It is full of flowers during the summer and in the winter quietly covered by the snow. Its inhabitants are very welcoming always smiling and friendly. I am sure special atmosphere is them to thank for.

Today there are 66 children living in the village and 28 youngsters living in two Youth facilities. Those are the houses where children, who started attending secondary school, live. Gracanica is a small town so all schools after elementary are dislocated in bigger centres. The nearest bigger centre is town Tuzla. For youngsters living in Youth facility it means getting a step closer to independence, which is very important for every young adult. They share everyday challenges with their peers and SOS educators who are there to support them and teach them to cope the problems from adult world. This process can sometimes be very hard but sometimes it is a pure joy to see them managing and finding their way to future.

But for our village there is always challenge - in bringing up the youngest, in coping the situations entering teenage, in welcoming the new children…

Every situation brings new joys and difficulties.

For many years 5 sisters were living in one SOS family - practically from the moment they were born - they came to our Children’s village as toddlers. Together with their SOS mother they created a girls world in their new home. Luckily all of them somehow get along, liked each other at start but now love each other deeply. Their home was coloured pastel colours - as princess castle. Whoever visited was enchanted with it - but they always missed something. And it was a brother. Often they were talking to SOS mother about the possibility for them to get an SOS brother, but somehow it was not possible for many years until this summer.

Children growing up at Gracanica, Bosnia

Information about two siblings coming to the village – brother and sister – spread quickly as usual when such news hit the village. Our girls were excited hoping that finally they will get the chance to have a brother. And so it was – a boy and a girl were admitted in their SOS house. Girls were so excited that they immediately set to plan. Where he will sleep, what he needs, what could be adjusted to boys taste and similar things they considered important. Their SOS mother thought it would be great to make him a present. And so they did – gathered their allowances to buy him a present – a remote controlled car!

A boy and his sister were frightened, but fortunately had each other to ease their life at the beginning. Adaptation went well; they are now already few months living there, attending school regularly, starting new friendships, but there is one funny thing about his remote controlled car. Namely, for so long our girls missed boy toys, so present they made to a brother was only showed to him and ever since he haven’t had a chance to play with it because his new SOS sisters are playing with it endlessly. Everybody in the village still jokes about it!

SOS Children’s Village Gracanica is now preparing for New Year’s celebration and children are always very active in organising things…

School is coming to its end and results of winter semester are going to be published soon. Children who managed excellent would be acknowledged and awarded on the annual gathering. This is also an opportunity to motivate other children to perform better in school. This practice has shown great results over the years.

At the end what else to say but thank you, dear friend, for understanding the need of children without parents. I thank you for your efforts to learn about our children and support them in their development. You probably have similar saying in your country ‘raising a child is like a digging a pitch with a needle’, meaning that great efforts need to be put in, but at the end the result is spectacular.

We wish you a Marry Christmas and a Happy New Year. May all your wishes come true and all your dreams come to real. We know that you earned it.

Sincerely yours,

Eldar Civic
Village Director