Circle of H O P E

Eight families from across Serbia traveled to Belgrade for this important event, including those who were part of the newspaper's initiative to help families who live in abject poverty in Serbia. Most are refugees from Kosovo and Krajina. Some are children with no parents, others are large displaced refugee families with no means to care for their children. This humanitarian initiative was started and led by Mirjana Petrovic, volunteer from California, who worked tirelessly on collecting the donations. Meeting the refugees was very emotional for Lana and Emma Todorovich who distributed aid on behalf of the donators.

Grandma Danica from Kosovo was inquiring about donators, expressing gratitude and sending her blessings. She cares for two grandchildren whose parents were victims of the 1999 Kosovo conflict. 14 year old Tomislav, a refugee from Krajina lost his father in the conflict. His mother Slavica extended her deep appreciation for this much needed help. Family Vujanic with seven children escaped military offensive in Krajina, walking for eight straight days with the refugees columns till they reached the town of Nis where they settled.

Circle of Hope volunteers listened to story after story of deeply affected and suffering families offering words of encouragement and hope. At the end, in the tradition of Circle of Hope, refugee children were taken to shop for sneakers…As always, according to the children, this was the best part of the day!