Child sponsorship update letter from Skopje
18/12/2007
Update from July 2007
Dear friends,
It is my great pleasure to inform you about the latest development in SOS Children’s village Skopje. Your continuous support makes the village a home for 82 children who live within a loving family, feeling safe and cared.
The newly admitted children adapted well to their new surroundings and families and the 12 village houses are full of children’s laughter.
We always feel pleasure to inform you that our children are doing well and it is also a great satisfaction to see them grow happy and healthy. We also feel pride to inform you that the oldest child, Siki, has finished the secondary school of economics and will be our first university student. Starting from October she will attend lectures at a private university that provided a scholarship for her studies. Not only that she will be the first student but she is as well among the first youngsters to form our SOS Youth facility. Under the guidance of the SOS youth care co-workers they will start living their more independent life, learning to be responsible for themselves but still counting on the support of the village. At the same time this will allow us to have available places here to receive more children within our SOS families.
The relationship with the youngsters’ SOS families will be maintained as they are aware of the importance of the SOS mother’s care and role in their life.
The children had the possibility to express their gratitude and love to their SOS mothers on the special day for all the mothers in the world, Mother’s day. It was the idea of a women’s organization to celebrate it in the village as a praise of the women not biological mothers but women who take care of, bring up children and give them their love.
The SOS mothers felt so proud and happy that day to see all the children gathered to perform sketches and songs that revealed their gratitude to everything their SOS mothers are doing for them. Yet the greatest surprise was the children’s poems, stories and paintings about their SOS mothers exhibited in the multipurpose hall. The mothers felt really touched to read the poems the children had written especially for them.
“The short poem he wrote about me was the best gift for Mother’s day”-says Ace’s SOS mother. This is how Ace praises his SOS mother:
“I would like to give her a sun to keep her warm
and a beautiful flower that will never fade
because she is my SOS mother dear with hair of silk
and a nightingale that sings.”
The creativity of the children was shown once again during the SOS open week in June that took place in the village. It was a week open to the public with the aim of promoting the village, directly becoming familiar with the life in the village and the SOS model of family based care. Prominent community members but as well a lot of good hearted people from the neighbourhood were our guests. They had a chance to watch the children’s performance and buy some of the children’s handicrafts and works of art such as paintings, vases, objects of clay especially made for the occasion.
The manifestation was officially opened with the participation of all the 82 children. The children in groups of 10 and 11 appeared from 8 different parts. They were carrying tapes of cloth, 4 yellow and 4 red, symbolizing the sunbeams and slowly approaching the middle of the sun, impersonated by a girl standing in the middle of the yard with a yellow cap. It was a symbolism of our children coming from different parts of the country (as the sun is symbol of our national flag as well) and being joined to the middle of the sun which symbolized the village. It did not leave a single person indifferent, it was so affecting, watching all the children even the youngest ones, not tall enough to carry the tape, holding their SOS brothers and siblings by their hands, joining to make the sun. The whole performance was accompanied by the following text (text written by the two Natashas, the SOS mother and the SOS aunt, both of them enthusiasts and creative persons):
“We are the children from the SOS village that take brave steps towards better life.
Every child is an individual with a story and life of himself.
We did not choose our past but we have the right to build our future.
Meeting us you are enriching with a really precious friendship.
We are surrounded by love and care, here is where we grow up, learn and play.
Here we get prepared for a life that will bring us challenges, happy moments.
We will assure you that the children are inexhaustible source that numerous talents and virtues hide.
You the grown ups could learn from our wide open eyes and hearts to keep the child in you, to be open for new challenges.
With great joy we accept and show our interest in arts, with great passion we approach towards making works of art. We are taking on the role of artists, singers, actors, dancers, and sportsman. Whether we will choose art, music or sport the time will show.
Everything you will see is full of love.
We the children are the most beautiful flowers, give us love, attention, care and tenderness and we will open wide our petals and give you a smile that fills the heart.”
The performance ended with the children singing the SOS anthem.
I would like to thank you for supporting SOS and making a difference in the world. You know you have made a difference by contributing in providing a home and a family for a child and put a smile on the child’s face.
Wishing you all the best,
Ms Jasmina Trajkovska-Lazarevska
Village Director
Relevant Countries: Macedonia.