The launch of the campaign for the adaptation of the premises in the Home for Children without Parental Care in Tuzla, entitled “For my happier childhood”, not only made the children living in the Home smile, but also those who moved out of it a long time ago. Edin Šerifović, a former Domac, as he proudly calls himself, did not hide his enthusiasm and desire to contribute to this initiative. After 11 years living at the Home, Edin says the children lack small things: “We never had pocket money. I don’t have a single picture from my childhood, because there were no computers or cell phones then, and we couldn’t afford to take photos. I used to sell sneakers so I could go play games. It was a hit of my childhood and I regret such little things today. That’s why I’m sure the kids in the newly renovated rooms will wake up with a smile on their face.
Small things hurt me
Although his childhood began as usual, the family accident led him to spend the rest of his childhood at the Home for Children without Parental Care in Tuzla from the age of nine, together with his younger brother. Despite a difficult childhood, Edin strived to be positive and hardworking. Although he graduated from the Faculty of Physical Education and Sports, his love for music, which he practiced through his youth, enabled him to earn money by working as a DJ for the last 13 years. He never missed the right opportunities in his life, so now that he has gained some stability in his life and career, he gives his free time to new generations of children living in the Home. A life full of ups and downs, children’s mischief, but also wise decisions today allow him to provide the children from the Home with what he lacked in his childhood and eased difficult moments:
“Home was my house and my life. All the children in the Home are my brothers and sisters, we are always very connected. It’s a lot easier for us to stick together than to risk someone hurting us. We are children who are essentially afraid of ourselves and our process of growing up and accepting our destiny is long and difficult. On the other hand, by its nature, the Home is a very closed institution, and although I realize that it is for security reasons, it suffocated me as a child. That is why today, with my friends and acquaintances, I organize various fun activities, sections and educational activities for children. We do math, listen to music, go on trips, to the movies and the like. My goal is to spend time together, to play and motivate them and show them parts of life outside the Home, for which none of us is ready once we leave that safe haven at the age of 18.”
Fear and desire for his own family
During his life at the Home, Edin volunteered at the Youth Bank, was a scout, a volunteer on the radio, and despite the fact that he had all the basic things necessary for life, he says that even today he is most hurt by small things. That is why he believes that the initiative to renovate part of the premises in the Home will be indescribable happiness for children:
“Imagine spending your whole life in a room where, in addition to not having adequate furniture, you are not allowed to change its layout and you do not have the opportunity to buy even the smallest details. In my time the old beds were replaced with new beds and we got new desks. For me, it was indescribable happiness, because our room starting to look like a normal apartment. It was nicer to wake up and we were proud. I am sure that even after this renovation, the children who live there will have the same feeling and that they will get a new motivation and zest for life because of that.”
Edin has a roof over his head today, he inherited his grandfather’s house which he is gradually renovating, and he says that he is only now determined and sure that he will have his own family. Until now, he was afraid that he would not be able to give his children a normal life, and now, he says, he is sure that he will. That is why he strives to be a good and hardworking man.
Home in the heart
He has experienced firsthand how the line between good and evil for the children of the Home is very thin, especially in the transition period when they leave the Home at adulthood and are in fact left to fend for themselves. That is why the children in the Home need more opportunities, more friends:
“We are pliable, inexperienced, vulnerable and unprepared for independent living. That’s why I’m going to the Home today. I want to give children an insight into the outside world, I want them to make acquaintances that have no prejudices, I want them to have skills, because the day when they will have to leave the Home will come for each of them.
A sense of belonging and a beautiful living environment will contribute to the development of their self-confidence, which is crucial for the development of personal skills and success in life in the end, our interviewee believes, inviting all citizens to contribute to this initiative and make life better for children living in the Home.
Join the campaign: https://doniraj.ba/project/view/za-moje-sretnije-djetinjstvo
