Sponsor's Letter SOS Bosnia
29/10/2007
Dear friend,
People say that a year passes like a breath. It may be the truth for those who don¡¦t have a child to watch grow, but certainly not the truth for those who watch many children, like we do in SOS Children¡¦s Village Gracanica. We can say that another year is behind us. Another year filled with joys, successes and failures. And even so, we are not discouraged. We learnt that happiness not only laying in big accomplishments but truly in small everyday challenges we succeed to overcome.
Today we are proud to say we have 90 children, 33 of them, youngsters, lives in Youth Facilities. We have three youth facilities in Tuzla. Youngsters are generally very excited to move to youth facility as it gives them a feeling of being in charge of their own lives and somehow independent and without a strain. Of course it is just an illusionº, because we have a team of professionals looking after them and helping them becoming fully independent. They teach them life skills, being responsible, dealing with different situations, resolving problems, and the last but not the least household and cooking. After they finish secondary education, youngsters who express the wish and ability to continue education will do so and for the rest another phase starts ¡V semi-independent living. A phase in which they live independently and yet have us supporting them in different ways. But the most important is the fact they have their SOS mother wherever they go or whatever they do!
One child's journey to triumph
This autumn we will have our third student. He wants to become an actor. This young man is very talented and we all know it
he now wishes to prove it to the world.
Eight years ago he came to village with sister and three brothers. It was after their mother died and their ill father was facing the fact he will not be able to take care of children. With the arrival to Gracanica the new life began. His talents showed immediately. He was always there preparing acts, performances, participating in organisation of events. And when there was nothing going on, he was initiating it.
With his move to youth facility in Tuzla, a lot of options opened for him. Beside obligations in school which he was finishing regularly and successfully, he also attended drama classes and acted in amateur theatre. He was enjoying himself. And then, as it sometimes comes in life, he was stroke by a loss his father died. It devastated him. It took him some time to recover. He came out of this crisis even more determined to succeed.
His next great success was that he won the first prize on competition organised in Tuzla for teenagers. It was the complete overview - personality, success, talents and charms that was judged. In his greeting speech when he was taking over the reward on stage, he said - this is for my father who, unfortunately, did not live long enough to see me today! His SOS mother was so moved she cried during entire ceremony. And so the rest of us.
He applied for National Drama Academy in Sarajevo which admits only 5 students a year. Among 59 candidates he fought for his place. After first selection he managed to come between 12 candidates who then had really intensive admission procedures organised over two days time. And then we all waited. It was really tough. He was not able to eat properly and was pretty nervous. But the news he received Monday morning stroke him like a thunder! He was the one of 5 students admitted on this Academy! His thrill exceed his expectations, he was laughing and crying at the same time together with his family. This was his dream coming true.
These studies require hard work, but he is so much determined to succeed that we have no doubts. His SOS family will stand behind him supporting him and letting him share his ups and downs with them for many years to come!
We wish you health and happiness. I would like to thank you for your tremendous help without which our efforts and positive results would be impossible. But beside financial help, we are grateful to have friends who understand and promote our idea and share our thrill with every positive change that happens in the lives of children! And for that we feel blessed!
Relevant Countries: Bosnia.