“Dad, I invited him to my birthday, why didn’t he invite me?” – Aca (9) and Relja (5) in the clutches of poverty. They collect walnuts to survive!

“Aleksandar was very sad when a friend didn’t invite him to his birthday, and then he saw that they were celebrating at a pizzeria. He asked me: ‘Dad, I invited him, why didn’t he invite me?’ The child felt badly, but what could I tell him? We didn’t always invite either – last year we couldn’t even afford cake and juice, and where would they have come when the roof is leaking everywhere,” thus began the story of a visibly depressed Stefan Marković.

“There are fewer and fewer people, and more and more wild animals!”

Brothers Aleksandar (9) and Relja (5) are the only children in the village of Cer near Preševo, which is surrounded by an Albanian population – their only friends are at their school in another village. Not long after our visit, they also got a sister, Emilija, who sleeps in a stroller because they don’t have a crib. They live right on the border with North Macedonia, where there are fewer and fewer people and more and more wild animals. Recently, a wolf attacked their goats, and their mother Marina chased him away, thinking it was a dog!

“We have a garden, a pig and four goats, but what I like most is when we collect nuts, then go and sell them along with cheese. I’m scared in the house – there’s a big hole and I think there’s a snake there, and behind the dresser there are mice and all such things, we find them nested in our wardrobe. Water leaks all over the house when it rains, so we put out basins, pots and a trough. I’m afraid it will collapse – and then we won’t have a house,” said little Aleksandar, describing his biggest fear.

“I often cry when my children can’t see me!”

The father, Stefan, does construction work as an assistant worker. He works as much as he can, but barely earns 300-400 euros a month. And that’s when he has work – as soon as the weather is bad or winter comes, there is no more work. He is not registered, and cannot get any employment in that area, and going elsewhere, due to the circumstances, is not an option.

“We could somehow make a living, but our house is in a state of disrepair – something needs to be repaired all the time. It’s really old, made of mud, stone and reeds. It’s not even entirely ours, we only use these two rooms. The windows are old, with drafts and air leaks from all directions. We patch them up with towels, blankets and whatever we can find, but it’s very difficult to heat up. I used to work in a factory, I had hoped to build something, but I got fired… At least, thank God, I have wonderful children, which I’ve always wanted, but, honestly, I often cry when they can’t see me – it’s hard for me that I can’t create a better situation for them,” Stefan said sadly.

“I want to be a police officer – to catch thieves and criminals!”

There are many difficult days in the Marković household. The worst thing is that they have to constantly worry – will it rain, will it be a harsh or mild winter, will there be electrical power because the electrical wiring is a disaster, and moisture and mold are everywhere… How many days do they spend in complete darkness because the electricity often goes out – they even brought in a couple of New Years that way. They sometimes use a flashlight, but more often a candle – they say batteries are expensive.

“Sometimes I open the fridge and see there’s nothing – so we’re hungry. I don’t even have boots for the winter – I always wear sneakers, but they get wet. I would like to have a toy car and a blue room, not an ugly one like now where we even cover our heads with a blanket to be less cold. And when I grow up I want to be a police officer, I want to catch thieves and criminals,” answered the smart and noble little Aleksandar.

Helplessness and generational poverty

These conditions, which are rarely seen, testify to the helplessness and generational poverty of many families from this region. Forgotten by everyone, they somehow survive and do not leave their homeland. The Charity organization Serbs for Serbs has been active for years in this area deserted by Serbs, on both sides of the border, and as soon as we learned about the Markovićs and met these wonderful children, we wanted to ensure, as the father’s T-shirt says, that every day is healthy and safe for them!

“I jumped for joy. I immediately called my wife and said – Serbs for Serbs is coming! You have given me immense hope, hope for a better life and a brighter tomorrow. I cannot describe to you how much it means to us. I believe in God and good people, I believe that you will save my children.”  Smiling for the first time, this was Stefan’s reply when we asked him about his reaction to us calling him.

“I’m saving up to buy them a present for Christmas!”

We were emotionally moved, however, when mother Marina said, “Our dreams and fantasies are worthless, when the roof will fall on our heads,” as if she still couldn’t believe that someone would really help them, and we were touched when we learned that the father had been saving for months to provide each of the children with a present for Christmas. We therefore invite you to support our Christmas fundraiser – so that Aleksandar, Relja and Emilija can receive 100 presents for these holidays and welcome all future ones in a warm room under a secure roof!

YOU CAN DONATE THROUGH THE DONATION PLATFORM: www.srbizasrbe.org/donacije

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