Give refugee children in Serbia hope for education

Hi friend,

We would like you to meet Andreja, a young, 12-year old from Smederevo. Like any energetic pre-teen, Andreja has dreams and goals for himself.

When talking to his dad, he commented how interested his son was in the life around him. Every day, he would come home from school, run up to his parents and would proclaim: “I want to be a singer when I grow up!” or “I want to dance!” On Friday, when we spoke, his son’s latest career obsession was basketball.

In school, he tries very hard - and we are so proud of him! This year, he is in upper elementary school so his workload has increased. One of his new classes is ICT and he loves it! The class covered a lot since the beginning of the year, but definitely the favorite part of these classes for Andreja is that they get to learn how to use paint. He paints everything. From his favorite basketball player, to his family, to his friends and the solar system.

His home life is not easy, though. His parents are both internally displaced refugees who came from Kosovo to Smederevo with nothing to their name. They try to make do, but it’s hard. The family receives benefits from the Serbian government, however it’s often not enough.

This is how you’ve been helping the family over the years. Every day in school, Andreja gets a hot meal, which sustains him and allows him to study, apply himself, and work on achieving his dreams. For his parents, this support is invaluable as it allows them to focus on paying the bills, taking care of Andreja’s siblings, and helping Andreja with his asthma.

Majority of our donations come from individual donors who donate less than $50. This is why, March 23-27, we are inviting you to participate in GlobalGiving’s Little x Little campaign. For every donation under $50, GlobalGiving will match it at 50%. For every donation, your dollar will go further, allowing us to raise money and bring hot meals to children like Andreja.

The work that we do is entirely funded through donations and would not be possible without the philanthropic support of our community. We are counting on your support to help us surpass our goal and invest in our children's future.

Please consider donating and making a parent's day, which in turn will help their children. If you can't donate, consider sharing Andreja's story with your friends and starting a fundraiser. Don't forget to stay in touch with us, over Facebook or Instagram, we’d love to hear from you.

With love,

Pomoc deci team