We change lives daily. Be it a girl near Sofia living in an informal settlement and dropping out of school early, or a boy in Belgrade who lived his whole life on the street and never had hoped he would turn it around: Thanks to our educational projects, they both have the chance for a more self-determined future.
This is the story of Nenad (name changed due to privacy). Our outreach team of the Day care centre for street children in Belgrade approached him several years ago. Now he is officially enrolled at the Faculty of Information Technology and even has a stipendium for being such a good student. Read his inspiring story below.
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Our outreach team first found Nenad on the streets of Belgrade when he was ten years old. He was a clear example of what we call a street child – he used to spend most of his time on the crossroads, begging, sometimes selling paper tissues. He was formally enrolled in school, but because of his street involvement he attended it rarely, almost never. The moment we met him he didn’t know what grade he was.
It took a year before he accepted the idea to be included in our day care for street children in Belgrade. Upon the admission, a high level of neglect was noticed, both in the educational and social-behavioral aspect. He did not have developed basic health and hygiene habits. He was distrustful, introverted, insecure and scared.
After involving school staff and the center for social work, we have agreed that it is important for him to visit the Shelter regularly. This daily contact allowed professionals working in the day care center to help him adopt good models of behavior and develop practices that helped him in the future to understand the importance of education and attending school regularly.
Very soon progress was noticeable – he has become a smiling, socialized, integrated boy who started to show exceptional results at school and in his informal environment. He didn’t only start to participate in almost all activities organized in the center, but also provide a great contribution in the form of experience and positive role model for other children. He took part in various activities such as choir, English language classes, football school, programming video games and animations etc.
He learned how to make choices and give himself always give himself a chance.
At the age of 14 he got a chance to get a full scholarship for the private IT College. He was really good in workshops they have had previously organized for a group of children from the center and saw a great potential in him. His high school was a rocky road for him since that was a huge step not just for him, but also for the community he belongs.
At the transition between primary and secondary school on one occasion he said: “The kids at my primary school didn't really like hanging out with me. I didn't have nice things like them, and I never traveled anywhere with my mom and dad. Once a friend invited me to a birthday party, I didn’t go. I never celebrated a birthday with any friends. I was always somehow … different. Now I am enrolled in high school. That school is beautiful, and everyone says that it is one of the best in the city. Now, I'm a little afraid that situation with making friendships will be the same there. My wish is to find a best friend.”
Nenad finished high school with a lot of friends. He is happy, proud, and aware of his success. Because of his dedication and hard work, the school offered him to continue with education in their IT College. It was a hard decision for him to make but easier than four years ago when he got a chance to start with secondary education.
Nenad is now officially enrolled at the Faculty of Information Technology for a period of three years. Complete financing and scholarships for all three academic years will be covered by the faculty.
Since the day he started to visit the center he feels it is like home. On his graduation party he said that he should celebrate the day he met the day care center team for the first time. We will be here to support him as much as he needs it. The path he walks is important not just for him personally but also for every other child we work with. The most important thing is that Nenad’s life and the lives of many other children like him has significantly changed for the better thanks to our center.