“We are in danger!” – Nikolina (8) and Lara (6) fear wolves and that a landslide might take their home away.

„A wolf once came into our yard and attacked a lamb. I was very scared, and since then we are not allowed to go far from the house. And there are a lot of cracks in the house because the landslide is shifting it. The whole house is literally moving and slowly giving way. Dad says we are in danger and that we should not be living here. But we have nowhere else to go…”, said eight-year-old Nikolina, soon to be the only student at the school in the village of Stance near Vranje.

“I’m afraid of these holes!”

There are 22 villages in this hilly-mountainous area called Poljanica. Unfortunately, there are fewer and fewer active households, children, students, jobs, and signs of life… As there are fewer people, there are more and more foxes, wild boars, wolves and other animals. Therefore, it’s not surprising that Nikolina will soon be the only student in the four-grade school, after her only two friends leave with their families. And it is not surprising that her parents will not let her walk to school alone.

“I’m afraid of these holes. At night I’m too scared to sleep, so I cover my head with a blanket. I wish we could get a new house so I wouldn’t be afraid anymore”, added little and lovely Lara (6).

“We love the village, we’re staying here!”

The Stanković family, however, is determined to survive there. They do not want to leave their home. Parents Nikola and Milica, with their five children – in addition to Nikolina and Lara, they have Iva (5), Vuk (4) and Vukan (1) – are one of the larger families in the area, and their grandfather Dragan and grandmother Blagica also live with them. Their biggest problem is the landslide that is gradually destroying their already old and dilapidated house.

“We love the village. We love farming, raising livestock, and raising our children here. It’s not easy and, to be honest, there are times when we go without, but we fight on as best as we can. It’s a little easier than it was six months ago because I got a job at a sawmill. It’s close to minimum wage and not permanent yet, but it means a lot to us. With the land we cultivate, the animals we have, and the charcoal (pellets) we make, we somehow manage. We patched up the house as much as we could, but it’s all in vain. It’s been cracking from the landslide for five years now. I don’t know how much longer we can stay here and whether it’s a matter of days, weeks, or years,” Dragan explained the situation.

“I’m teaching them to believe and to love!”

This is compounded by a number of other problems – “broken” windows and the inability to heat the entire house, no running water, a large unpaid electricity bill, and the fact that everyone is sleeping in one reed-walled room with only two beds… They tape up the windows, deal with the cold in the evenings by piling on blankets, they fetch water “the old-fashioned way” from the well, they pray to God that the electricity isn’t cut off, and manage the cramped space by having at least one child sleep with the grandparents.

“Unfortunately, I also had facial paralysis from my pregnancy. I haven’t fully recovered yet, but I’m better now. The bad road to the house also creates difficulties for us, and in winter it’s not passable. It takes us about 50 minutes to get to Vranje, so we don’t go there often – only when we absolutely have to take the children to the doctor. I’ve never gone any farther. My children mean the world to me; because of them, we have to stay cheerful. I teach them to believe and to love,” added mother Milica, who is completely devoted to her children.

“We’re making sand cookies and a sand house!”

These hardworking people struggle as much as their circumstances allow. Until recently, they also had a greenhouse, but it was destroyed by the wind. They haven’t yet saved enough money to fix it. The children spend their days playing, learning, and helping their parents.

“We’re making a little house and cookies out of sand, and when I have a nice kitchen, I’ll make real ones with my mom. I feel sorry that my sister will be alone at school, but I’ll join her soon. The two of us dream of having a pink room and being warm. Now, even when I cover myself in the winter, it’s still cold. And it’s a bit cramped – I’ve grown, so my little bed feels too small. I’d like to have my own and sleep with Pikachu,” added little Lara, wishing she could get Mickey Mouse too.

For a more carefree childhood for the little Stankovićs!

While their house is cracking from a landslide, the Stankovic family dreams of a safe home. Their wish is to move to one of the nearby villages where there’s a school and a larger community. The Charity organization Serbs for Serbs has previously worked in this area, and now we are launching a new aid campaign. We therefore invite you to help us with your donations so that Nikolina, Lara, Iva, Vuk and Vukan can have the opportunity for a more carefree upbringing!

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

SERBIA
1. SMS to 7763 (200 RSD)2. Account: 160-0000000279491-71, Banka Intesa
2. Pay Pal
3. Foreign currency account

REPUBLIC OF SRPSKA
1. Call 17763 (3 КМ)
2. Account: 56201281300241-58 (NLB bank)
3. Pay Pal

MONTENEGRO
1. Account: 510-91548-03 (CKG bank)
2. Pay Pal

USA
1. Donation platform (credit card, bank account)
2. Pay Pal
3. ZELLE: szsamerika@gmail.com
4.Check to: Serbs for Serbs, Po Box 34206 Chicago, IL 60634
*all donors exercise the right to tax deductions

CANADA
1. Pay Pal
2. Check to: Serbs for Serbs Canada, 635 The Queensway, Lower Level, Toronto, ON, M8Y 3B3
3. Е-transfer to: donate@serbsforserbs.ca
*all donors exercise the right to tax deductions

GERMANY
1. IBAN: DE87 7605 0101 0015 8913 36
2. Pay Pal
*all donors exercise the right to tax deductions

SWITZERLAND
1. Konto: 61-335679-5
IBAN:CH57 0900 0000 6133 5679 5
Hedwigstrasse 3, 8032 Zurich
2. Twint: donate.raisenow.io/stbdh
3. Pay Pal
*all donors exercise the right to tax deductions

AUSTRIA
1. IBAN:AT97 3200 0000 1036 4339
SWIFT/BIC: RLNWATWW
Customer: Organisation fuer humanitaere Hilfe in serbisch Srbi za Srbe
Kalvariengürtel 39/6, 8020 Graz Austria
2. Pay Pal
3. Call 0901 300 201 (3 Euro)

SWEDEN
1. SWISH: 1230 133 900
2. Pay Pal
3. Bank Giro: 5302-1077
4. Account: 5226 1060 858

NORWAY
1. VIPPS: 104 414
2. Pay Pal
3. Account: 1503 83 80483

AUSTRALIA
1. Donations via Bank Account:
BSB: 032-278
Account No: 878615
Bank: Westpac
2. Pay Pal
3. Donations via PayID
PayID Type: ABN
PayID: 57472783829
4. Donations via Cheque:
Check to Serbs for Serbs Inc, 18 Mantle Ave, North Richmond NSW 2754, Australia

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