By Ljiljana Vasic | Director
“I wish I had my room and my dolls back”, said an 11-year old Nasrin, when we asked her what she misses most in a refugee camp in Bujanovac in south Serbia, where she and her mother are waiting for the international birth certificate for her new-born sister before they could be listed for moving to Hungary. Her father is in another refugee camp in Serbia waiting to be allowed to reunite with his family.
“And I miss my friends and dancing with them”, shyly smiling she added. Maja, our Coordinator for psycho-social support to refugee children in south Serbia remembered this when a local school started preparing a performance to mark the World refugee day and asked Nasrin if she would like to participate. Hesitant in the beginning, but overcoming her stage fright, Nasrin joined the group. For two weeks, they were practicing every day and Maja made sure that this lovely girl could join every practice – she went to the refugee camp to pick her up, took her to the school and after the practice, she would take her back to the camp.
So, the 20th of June arrived and all the refugees staying at the Bujanovac refugee camp were invited to the performance. Among the 20 local girls, Nasrin was part of the performance. “This was great, I met new friends and we managed to understand one another. it was almost like being with my friends back home!”, with the broadest possible smile, Nasrin was telling us when she went back to her mother to make sure that Mom saw everything she had done on the stage.
All these children are in dire situation, living in refugee camps, far from their homes, not really understanding where, how and why they are going, not understanding much of the languages around them and having very worried and distressed parents. We have been trying to help them through psycho-social workshops, small toy gifts and provision of opportunities to learn and mix with local children.
On July the 18th, from 9:00 in the morning Eastern Time (15:00 in Europe), GlobalGiving Foundation will match 50% every donation you make, up to 500 USD, as long as 120,000 Matching Funds last.
On this Bonus Day, you can help us continue providing this type of help to the Middle East refugee children in south Serbia. Please, donate whatever amount you can on this day and as soon as the Bonus day starts (the available matching funds go fast).
Please, help us help these children to be children who laugh and play, who, for at least, short time can forget what they miss and what they are going through!
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