When dad developed a mental illness, everything changed” – Alexandra’s (11) family was shattered by COVID!

„Hello, my name is Aleksandra Konstantinov from Samosh, near Kovačica. My life can be divided into two periods: before COVID and after COVID. Before, I was a little girl, I spent my days playing, and somehow everything was easier. After that, everything changed—my father developed a mental illness, and for my brothers and me, it felt as though our childhood was cut short”, this wonderful young girl began her story, her eyes filled with sadness and tears.

His face grew serious.

“It’s not known exactly how it happened, but my mom, whose name is Svetlana, says that the whole situation made him deeply worried about our health and that it somehow affected him. He spent two to three years in a psychiatric hospital and we suffered a great deal, we missed him terribly. It was the hardest on me and my brother Aleksandar who is now 15, while Jovan (17) seemed to grow up almost overnight. His face grew serious and he very quickly started working and filling in for our dad in various responsibilities.”

When he was healthy, everyone called on him for help. But now…

Although he now goes to mechanical engineering school in Pančevo, which is more than an hour away in one direction, he spends his free time working construction jobs, mowing lawns, and repairing motorcycles. Whenever he has money, he buys us all clothes and shoes. Dad has since returned and is a little better because he is taking his medications. I often hear my mother say that when he was healthy, everyone called on him for help, but now hardly anyone knows him.

Sometimes we go to bed hungry!

Unfortunately, she can’t work, except for occasionally cleaning houses in the village. She can’t leave dad and us alone, given the situation. And she has a problem with her thyroid. Apart from the daily wages my brother earns and the seasonal jobs that all of us sometimes take on, we live on social assistance and child benefits. That’s 25,000 dinars a month. There are times when we go to bed hungry. We also keep chickens, and I help take care of them. I can also make pasta, soup…

We’re not always warm…

Our family’s biggest problem is this house. It’s small, it’s unsafe, and it’s full of dampness… There are also lots of holes from mice, bugs, and ants, but I’m not afraid of them. Mom and I sleep here on this bed, dad on the other one, and my brothers on the third. Имамо само ове две спојене собице. We heat the house with a wood-burning stove and an old masonry heater, but it’s not always warm enough…”

When will you come again?

“My mom told me about you and said that you help people in need. I would really like you to help us too, to get our own rooms – mine in the Red Star colors. That would be the first nice thing to happen to us since COVID, as far back as I can remember. That’s why I made a drawing for you. When will you come again?”

I love them all!

This was the heartfelt testimony of little Aleksandra, told in a voice that often trembled with emotion. It was difficult for her to talk about it, but she was also visibly happy that someone had come to listen to them and offer help. And just how deeply all of this weighs on her father, who was once healthy and had hoped to solve their housing issue himself, became clear when he said broken heartedly: “I love them all.”

“That we would return as soon as possible.”

The Charity organization Serbs for Serbs is launching a new aid campaign for the Konstantinovs. This hard-pressed family never imagined they would be struck by such a painful fate. Each of them carries their own cross as best they can, while holding on to hope for a better tomorrow. We invite you to help us ensure that they finally have a safe home and that we can return to little Aleksandra as soon as possible!

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
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4.Check to: Serbs for Serbs, Po Box 34206 Chicago, IL 60634
*all donors exercise the right to tax deductions

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2. Check to: Serbs for Serbs Canada, 635 The Queensway, Lower Level, Toronto, ON, M8Y 3B3
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AUSTRIA
1. IBAN:AT97 3200 0000 1036 4339
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Customer: Organisation fuer humanitaere Hilfe in serbisch Srbi za Srbe
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4. Account: 5226 1060 858

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3. Account: 1503 83 80483

AUSTRALIA
1. Donations via Bank Account:
BSB: 032-278
Account No: 878615
Bank: Westpac
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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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