Svetislav Nedeljkovic and his family Photo: Jovana Savić/CWS
Like parents in any other part of the world, Svetislav Nedeljkovic only wants the best for his children, despite being forced from home to live in temporary camps following Kosovo’s 1999 violence.
“My three children were born in the camp, and all of them, except Aleksandar, spent their early childhood without the proper education,” he says.
The time was trying for the family, especially so for Aleksandar. “He was shy and reserved, always in the back, always retreating from people,” Svetislav says.
Svetislav knew Aleksandar needed to be in school. But robbed of his former career as an engineer and barely able to provide for his family, he knew he couldn’t afford to send the kids to school.
Giving Roma preschoolers a great start
Since 2007, Church World Service has been working with its partners in Smederevo and Belgrade, Serbia’s capital, to give Roma and other marginalized children the preliminary education, socialization and basic skills to help them transition successfully to primary school.
In Smederevo, 60 underprivileged children ages 3 to 6 – both Roma and Serbian – are attending preschool through CWS’s Inclusive Early Childhood Education program. There, they take part in music, art, games and role-playing to help them overcome language barriers and learn new words, concepts and behaviors. At the program’s two preschools, Mala Krsna and Pcelica, the children also get a nutritious breakfast and lunch.
In Belgrade, CWS has partnered with the Branko Pešić Primary School and their efforts have been fruitful. “Now, most Roma youngsters in Belgrade’s Roma communities regularly attend preschools and finish primary school,” says Jovana Savić, a CWS communications officer based there.
“This program has been a blessing for us,” says Svetislav, whose previously shy young son is now an eager, motivated class participant, playing happily with the other children. “Now, he is a different kid. He is curious, more outgoing – and his teacher tells us that he is one of the kids who always raise their hands first when she asks a question.”