SOS Children's Village Sarajevo, Bosnia and ... - SOS Kinderdorf

SOS Children's Village Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Summer came so quickly – practically it sneaked on us! Suddenly the sun is warmer
and the green is everywhere. I think it might be because we were so busy and we still
are we practically haven’t had a time to notice seasons changed! We are grateful
though!
This year we managed to join biological families together, which is one of our
important principles – family members together whenever possible. Children living in
our SOS Children’s Villages benefit enormously from knowledge that they have
biological family and knowing their origin, especially when those relationships
develop to be functional, positive and filled with emotions.
The faith wanted for our boy Dzemal to be the lucky and find the closest family
members completely by accident. Early this year we were visited by representatives
of the BH Commission for Missing Persons. They had the knowledge that a boy is
living in our village whose father was killed during the war. His family was looking for
the match to closest family member. They asked for the permission to make a DNH
analysis on Dzemal. Through this contact we found out that our boy has a brother
living in the same town. It was a shock at first but then we realised that this has to be
the Faith. DNH analysis was postponed and joining living family members became
the top priority both for us and for the Commission people.
Dzemal needed to be adequately prepared for this new information and the contact
itself needed to be carefully planned and organised. Dzemal’s brother was also
surprised, anxious but still waiting to meet his little brother. The family, now when he
was married and had twin-daughters of his own, meant a world to him.
It was Saturday morning when his brother came to the village – he was so nervous,
his shirt was soaking sweat and yet he tried to look his best! Dzemal woke up at 5
am, set in the dinning room, then changed 5 times, woke up his SOS mother and
oldest SOS sister. Finally it was 11 o’clock and it was the time to go.
All children dream about the moment when they will meet their mother, father, sister
or brother, dream about that special look in the eyes, special hug and feel of having
that special person. What happened next was Dzemal’s dream coming true.
When they met – they hugged and cried in each others arms for long – they could not
let off one another. Nobody could hide emotions and I don’t think that anybody
actually tried.
Later on brothers family came to meet Dzemal and suddenly he felt ‘like completely
new world opened to him’ as he said. Dzemal’s SOS mother was even more affected
by this new development but what is interesting she also became a new family
member for Dzemal’s brother. They visit each other and go picnic on weekends
together.

Dzemal is learning to become a baker and he is rather skilled. Soon he will be able to
start his own family and support he is having from older brother will be precious.
Dzemal’s SOS sister, the one he woke up the morning he was waiting to meet his
brother, will get married this autumn and Dzemal will be the one to walk her to alter.
Another family will be formed and links between them resilient.
A lot happened in his life this year. We hope the time ahead will bring him less stress
and more joy.
But Dzemal was not the only one to meet his family. This time it was another boy,
Ivan, but he is younger and this time we were also surprised how destiny crosses the
paths of people.
Family strengthening programme in Sarajevo is in place since the beginning of the
year with full resources. So far among many beneficiaries we identified those who are
at the greatest risk and intensified our support efforts. Contacts with social centres
enabled us to identify one very problematic family. They have two biological children
and one girl on foster care. Investigation led us to finding out the girl on foster care
was biological sister of our Ivan. Ivan’s mother left her with this family and went who
knows where. We were happy to be able to give her a better home in our SOS
Children’s Village Sarajevo and the most precious thing – a sibling.
Ivan was reluctant to accept her at first but things are moving forward already. Our
next step will be on finding their mother. It would make her happy seeing her children
together and who knows maybe even family reunion one day!
SOS Social Centre became the place of hope for many families who joined Family
strengthening programme in Sarajevo. Not only that we offer support, but we offer
the most valuable thing to them – assurance that things could be different if they
choose another way.
During the war, many of those families moved from rural to urban environment and
find hard to fit in the new lifestyle. They lost all their possession, homes, land, things
they could live of – now city is not offering much for them. Therefore they get
desperate and tend to choose the wrong way – alcoholism, desperation, depression.
Meeting other families which cope with the same problems helps them build support
network and strengthen them in their efforts to change their lives for better.
This noble work our SOS mothers and other people are doing in Sarajevo would not
be possible if we haven’t had such a strong network of supporters all over the world
– without you!
Therefore I wish to sincerely thank you for ‘touching so many lives’ trough support
you give to SOS-Kinderdorf International. Hope you will stay with us for many years
because only together we can make a difference!