Serbs for Serbs May 2011 Report

2011

CHARITY ORGANIZATION SERBS FOR SERBS

Monthly Report www.SrbizaSrbe.us

Monthly Report No. 11 May, 2011 Charity organization Serbs for Serbs – www.SerbsForSerbs.org PO Box 34206, Chicago, IL 60634 Phone: +1-312-85-SERBS Website: www.SerbsForSerbs.org E-Mail: Office@SerbsForSerbs.org

Monthly Report Dear friends and donors,

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condition of the households in Serbia, Republic of Srpska and other countries in the Balkan.

Charity organization Serbs for Serbs have finally registered in the state of Illinois in United States by the group of the Serbian youth. Charity organization Serbs for Serbs is currently in the process of applying for a 501(c)3 non-profit non organization status. We registered organization in Jun 2010 and we have already started work working and began raising donations. Since this is our fresh start in the United States please excuse us for any difficulties and mistakes that we make in the beginning.

About Us The mission of Charity organization Serbs for Serbs is to affect on consciousness of Americans, Serbs and their friends through planned projects, social and humanitarian activities in order to develop and foster better society for future generations and provide aid for underprivileged families in need.

Although there are many humanitarian organizations and associations, help often doesn't reach the most jeopardized. Due to unnecessary administration, missing information and slow decision making, the delivery of aid arrives too late to the final consumers, or not at all. It is a sad and embarrassing, but true fact that more than 18.000 children daily die around the world because of starvation and malnutrition. ion. There, among us, the blind and deaf.

We are witnesses of the bad demographic situation of our nation, tion, decreasing natality, increasing number of singles, abortions, accelerated aging of the population and generally bad economic

An average couple has "fallen" on one child.

Analysts warn that Serbs will become a minority in its own country in the following century if the nation, individuals and government don't wake up from the nescient in which they've fallen!

On the other hand, nobody is talking about the families amilies with many children which grieve by living in bitter poverty. Occupied by their everyday struggle for survival, they are being humbly in their desire for implementing rights which belong to them. Their life stories, fears and problems are identical, but almost invisible and unheard in order to gain the attention of the public, media and even state. That's why the idea of the Charity organization Serbs for Serbs arose. Organization was formed by a group of young and trustful people, who are united by the common vision of helping families blessed by many children and who are aware of the fact that even a small help means a lot for those who don't live in a material excess.

We are united by the humane idea to help the poorest part of the Serbian nation.

Charity organization Serbs for Serbs try to revive the spiritless energy of the Serbian Diaspora which would be able to reinforce people of Serbian heritage as well as all good people throughout the world with minimal, but bu constant monthly donations.

We hope and believe that there is also a grain of doing good and that you will join us in the endless e struggle against poverty. God bless and save all Serbian families with many children and our honored donors who participate in the noble effort to return smile ile on children faces.

CHILDRE9 ARE OUR FUTURE! www.SerbsforSerbs.org

Charity organization Serbs for Serbs – www.SerbsForSerbs.org PO Box 34206, Chicago, IL 60634 Phone: +1-312-85-SERBS

Monthly Report

www.SrbizaSrbe.us 2011

Ambition

they are ready to help other families - our organization is satisfied with the results - family is ready in the future to become our donor and if necessary help other families that are in need of help

The mission of Charity organization Serbs for Serbs is to affect on consciousness of Serbian people through our projects and humanitarian activities, in order to develop better society for future generations.

Who do we need in organization?

We need members and donors that will secure financial stability through supporting our programs and activities in the future. Donors may join our daily activities within the organization in order to coordinate our work better. We also need volunteers ready to donate several hours per week for actual work within the organization. Activities of volunteers and their specific tasks would be determined by the required projects and their personal interest. From that group of volunteers we would look for future leaders of organization.

Why Serbs for Serbs?

We wanted to alleviate impaired spirit of Serbian people in togetherness and brotherhood help through humanitarian work and social aid.

Who do we help?

We help Serbian families who live in the Balkans, have five or more children and live in terrible poverty.

How do we define “terrible poverty�?

Under terrible poverty we define absence of one or more basic factors required for living: food, clothes, shoes, and safe space for living.

Why do we help?

We believe that there is a basic need for one human (or a group) to help others in distress. A help is not only human virtue but also a Christian responsibility. By focusing our help on families with many children, we directly affect on their stirring toward becoming independent from socialdependable government programs. Indirectly, we want to affect on birth rate of Serbian people that has been in great decline in last 20 years.

Charity organization Serbs for Serbs 9orth America - Report number 11.

What are our long term goals?

- family is ready to support itself daily and manage to pay all required expenses and bills - their children are encouraged to continue with school and raising their own family - our donors are satisfied with the activities and

szsamerika@gmail.com

9ow we need your help more than ever, we need volunteers who will help with website, translations and marketing. If you have enough free time please send us an email at:

Charity organization Serbs for Serbs – www.SerbsForSerbs.org PO Box 34206, Chicago, IL 60634 Phone: +1-312-85-SERBS

Monthly Report

www.SrbizaSrbe.us 2011

We will never give up!

In our 10th action „For the Resurrection of Kosovo and Metohija“, conducted on Saturday, 30th of April and Sunday, 1st of May, Charity organization Serbs for Serbs and Charity Christian association „My Joy“ from Stuttgart, we managed to deliver nearly 6.000 EUR to 12 Serbian families in Kosovo and Metohija. As usual, we would like to thank our friends from NGO „The mother of nine Jugovićs“ and Raška-Prizren Eparchy.

Family Vitković is consisted of the father Predrag, mother Sanja and children Aleksandar (7) and Anđela (3). Predrag has found a job recently, and he manages to provide the basic necessities for his family. The biggest problem they have are the beds (3 of them) and a closet, so we decided to provide them those things.

On early Saturday morning we headed towards the holy Serbian land from Skoplje. We wanted to reach five southern Serbian enclaves, where a large number of Serbian families is literally cut off from the rest of Serbia. The first village we visited, Donja Brnjica is the biggest Serbian village north-east of Priština, with over 150 houses. We visited families Popović and Vitković in that village.

A single mother Stana Popović lives with her three children, Gordana (24), Goran (23) and Aleksandar (19).

The children are sucessful students in Kosovska Mitrovica, so only Aleksandar and Stana were at home when we came. The husband and father of this family was kidnaped in 1999. by UCK terrorists, and his fate remained unknown. Stana complained about suspicious foreign organizations which stop by and promise help, but they never came back. We promised to get them an electric stove and 4 beds to equip the additional part of the house for the children.

We continued our journey towards Gračanica, and together with father Bojan we visited several villages in central Kosovo and Metohija. In Donja Gušterica we visited family Krstić – father Ljubinko, mother Zorica and children Vadica (18), Kristina (13) and Vojislava (15). The family needs a bathroom, so we planned to get them one with all the necessary material, and we also bought 2 beds and a vacuum cleaner to improve the hygiene in the house.

Charity organization Serbs for Serbs – www.SerbsForSerbs.org PO Box 34206, Chicago, IL 60634 Phone: +1-312-85-SERBS

Monthly Report

www.SrbizaSrbe.us 2011

wood stove, double-decker bed and a table with chairs.

We also planned to visit family Zdravković, but they were in Mitrovica seeing a doctor. Since we provided some things for them – bed, a table and chairs, as well as washing machine, we decided to visit them the next time we come to Staro Gacko.

In the village Rabovce we visited family Mihajlović.

The father Miodrag has been kidnapped twice by UCK terrorists, but with God's help he managed to escape.

That left significant consequences, so it is difficult for him, even after several years, to take care of his family, consisting of his wife Divna and children Miroslav (23), Miloš (18), Jelena (14), and another daughter Milena who is married and doesn't live with them any more.

Father Bojan helped Miodrag to find a job in Dečane Monastery. We provided 3 beds, a small refrigerator and an electric stove for this family.

In the village Suvi Do we visited family Stanojević.

Father Siniša and mother Dijana live in a cramped space with their children Tamara (12), Milan (10), Lidija (8), Mila (6) and Isidora (2). We already helped this family in one of our previous actions, buying them a washing machine, but due to a water problem, we will provide them a water pump to get the water from the well, thus solving one of many problems of this family.

Our next stop was a martyred Serbian village Staro Gacko near Lipljane, “known” by the brutal murder of 14 harvesters on 23rd of July 1999. A landmine was found recently in the village, and it was set by local Albanian terrorists as a response to the graffiti of SNP Naši 1389 on the local school. We visited family Ajduković who lives in a renovated refugee camp, mother Jelena and her children Jovana (19), Jovan (12) and Sara (10). We bought them a washing machine, Charity organization Serbs for Serbs – www.SerbsForSerbs.org PO Box 34206, Chicago, IL 60634 Phone: +1-312-85-SERBS

Monthly Report In the village Ugljare near Priština we visited family Stolić, father Dejan, mother Sunčica and their children Anđela (9), Ivana (6), Nikola (3) and twins Andreja and Jovan who are 3-months old. They own several goats and poultry, and manage to survive. Their neighbors and Eparchy are helping them, so we decided to donate 2 beds and a double-decker for the children, big water heater, washing machine, big closet and chairs. We will certainly try to visit them again and help with the things for the babies, which they need the most at the moment.

Our friends in municipality Novo Brdo, working in the charity kitchen Prekovci, assured us that they have large quantities of food. Due to a lack of time, we couldn't visit an old man, Dragan, in the village Zebince in Novo Brdo, to whom the „Mother of nine Jugovićs“ will deliver a bed and a little table.

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On Sunday morning we headed the villages in Metohija, Orahovac and Velika Hoča, where we delivered 2 refrigerators, stoves and washing machines provided by our friends from the organization „My Joy“. After our encounter with father Marko in Hoča and a short rest in the winery of Tzar Dušan which he donated to Dečane Monastery, we continued our journey and visited the families from these enclaves.

The first family we visited in Velika Hoča was the Spasić family, father Miloš, mother Zorica and children Jelena (17), Sima (20) and grandmother Anica. We bought them a refrigerator. Besides the fact they own several hectares of land which is very fertile and suitable to produce vine, the local Albanian gangs makes them insecure. Miloš works in the vineyard of Dečane Monastery, and his children are successful students in Kosovska Mitrovica.

Nearby we found family Nakalamić, father Marko, mother Suzana and children Damjan (11) and Anastasija (6). We bought a refrigerator for them also. The family is unable to cultivate their land. Marko also works in the estate of Dečane Monastery, and helps in producing vine.

Charity organization Serbs for Serbs – www.SerbsForSerbs.org PO Box 34206, Chicago, IL 60634 Phone: +1-312-85-SERBS

Monthly Report The last family we visited in Velika Hoča was the Lukić family, father Miroslav, mother Jasmina, their sons Dalibor (27), Mladen (26), Ratko (21), as well as Dalibor's wife Milica and Mladen's wife Jelena. Ratko was a geography student in Mitrovica until recently, but their material situation no longer enables him to study.

The youngest members of the household are Tomislav and Radislav who are one year and a half old. The Lukić's have problem with the space they live in, so for the time being we bought them a washing machine, and we will try to provide additional help for children bedrooms in our next action.

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help we got in Gračanica will be delivered to all the families in the next 10 days, and our friends from „Mother of nine Jugovićs“ will document that as always.

We sincerely hope that our actions and reports will raise the desire and motives through the Serbian lands and in the Diaspora to help our people and the endangered families who wish to stay on our holy land. It is important to deliver and use the help in the best way possible.

The help we provided in this action is as follows: • 14 beds • 2 double-decker beds • 2 closets • 2 tables • 16 chairs • 2 electric stoves • 3 water heaters • 1 vacuum cleaner • 2 wood stoves • 1 water pump • 2 sets of shower and tap • 20m2 of bathroom tiles and a complete equipment for the bathroom • 3 refrigerators • 5 washing machines We ended our action in Orahovac, where we visited the Grković family, father Slaviša, mother Dušica, their sons Stefan (12), Lazar (9) and Uroš (4), and grandmother Miroslava. We donated a stove, but they need even more so, the roof is in a very bad condition.

We use this opportunity to publicly call all the state institutions of the Republic of Serbia to make minimum of efforts to provide help to the endangered Serbian families in their enclaves, which have become the ghettos of the 21st century, and invest in their children, because the CHILDREN ARE INDEED OUR FUTURE! Without the children there is no future!

Our great common Easter charity action is a step forward for all the organizations that took part, and its aim is to provide a new action to help the Serbian families. The Charity organization Serbs for Serbs – www.SerbsForSerbs.org PO Box 34206, Chicago, IL 60634 Phone: +1-312-85-SERBS

Monthly Report Successful big SFS party in Skadarlija

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We use this opportunity to thank the monastery Đurđevi Stupovi and the vinery of the monastery Visoki Dečani for the presents we received. Also, we would like to point out that our feast was celebrated in other cities in the world.

Fourth pancake party in Zurich

On 13th of May, late at night, SfS organized large charity party in Skadarlija, which aimed at raising the money for our action in Krajina. We raised the total of 51.620 dinars. We would like to thank all our friends and guests who supported us in our charity work. Apart from our friends from Belgrade, there were people from Pančevo, Užice, Prijedor, Amsterdam, Moscow, Verona and other cities around the globe.

SfS celebrated Slava in Belgrade

On Saturday, 21st of May in Ušter, Charity organization SfS Switzerland and KUD Nikola Tesla from Ušter held fourth evening of donor pancakes. Over 50 people attended the donor evening, with pancakes, dancing, and the bravest participated in karaoke. We raised 690 franks.

First charity SFS barbecue in Vienna

Charity organization Serbs for Serbs has celebrated its Slava St. Vasilije Ostroški, for the first time in Belgrade in the temple of St. Simeon Mirotočivi in New Belgrade, in the morning, and in YU Business center in the afternoon, in the facilities that will soon turn into the office of our organization.

The representatives, donors and friends of the Charity organization Serbs for Serbs from Austria organized the first charity barbecue last weekend.

They raised symbolic 50 EUR, and thus sent the message to all Serbian communities throughout Diaspora to follow their example and complement their friendship with benevolence.

Charity organization Serbs for Serbs – www.SerbsForSerbs.org PO Box 34206, Chicago, IL 60634 Phone: +1-312-85-SERBS

Monthly Report Krajina will exist as long as the Serbs exist...

Serbian youth once again showed its unity in action.

Gathered around several organizations, led by supreme goals in our fight for better position of the Serbian people, we have jointly conducted another action for help the endangered Serbian families in Serbian Krajina. In second joint action (the fifth for our organization), the members of the Charity organization Serbs for Serbs from Serbia, and Serbian society Zadužbina from Slovenia in the field, as well as Charity organization NemanjićiTićino from Switzerland and Serbian Orthodox Youth Innsbruck from Austrija, which helped financially, conducted a long planned action in Lika in Serbian Krajina from 20-23rd May. We visited and helped 10 families with 25 children, thanks to our mutual work and fraternity.

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We raised 4.600 EUR to help those families, and we spent the money on the spot for the satisfaction of their needs, but we also brought some household appliances, packages of clothes, footwear, bedclothes, dishes, toys and books (donated as a special aspect of help by the Serbian society Zadužbina).

The list of help: Refrigerator Construction material Laminate Cow Sheep 4 Lambs 4 Laying hens 21 Double-decker beds 2 Mattresses 6 Chairs 4 Firewood 10m2 Construction material for moisture sanitation We went from Belgrade, met our friends and the members of the organization in Vukovar, and then headed to our first destination Korenica in Lika.

Early on 20th of May we arrived at our hosts, where we should also meet the friends from Zadužbina.

After the short break, planning of action for that day and general information of the terrible condition of the Serbian people in every aspect, we visited our first families for that day. Željko Šuput and Milan Panić, our old acquaintances, welcomed us in Korenica. We have helped their families several times last year, and the situation of Željko and Milan is yet to be solved.

We must remember that they were unjustly convicted for the alleged war crimes, and they have spent a certain time in prison. In two weeks time the court will announce a final decision, whether to set them free or send them back to prison, and that will shape their and their families' destiny. We sincerely hope that the court will set them free, and that those two men will be able to get on with their already difficult lives with their families. Family Šuput received from us the construction material for the fixing of the floor in the children's room and a

Charity organization Serbs for Serbs – www.SerbsForSerbs.org PO Box 34206, Chicago, IL 60634 Phone: +1-312-85-SERBS

Monthly Report refrigerator, while family Panić got the construction material for finishing the house.

Our action continued with family Prica, also a family from our last action. They thanked again for the previous help. The Prica family manufactures quality and very tasty cheese, which we had the opportunity to try. Unfortunately, one of their cows died, so they asked us to help them buy a new one so they could keep manufacturing. We decided to help them get one, so that they could improve their difficult socio-economic position using their own effort.

Our action continued in municipality Donji Lapac, where we visited family Stajić. A single mother Marijana lives with her father, sister and two children: Radomir (13) and Darija (11) in a pretty old house. This family is about to get a new house, so we decided to give them most of the money from Serbian society Zadužbina. We donated several appliances: washing machine, refrigerator and an installed stove. We also brought wardrobe, toys and books for the children and bedclothes for other members of the family.

Early on 21st of May we continued with the action in Donji Lapac, visiting additional six families. The first family we visited was the family of the man who became our friend, Milorad Kovačević, who was our guide during the previous action. They welcomed us in an incredible way. We agreed to get them a construction material for taking care of moisture.

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On our way from Lapac we stopped by to see Jovo Vujin, to buy 4 sheep and 4 lambs for the families Rašeta and Ovuka. We donated 2 sheep and 2 lambs per family. We have already helped family Rašeta, and this time we informed them that we have provided the help they needed. They still live in difficult conditions, and the youngest child Nataša, who has epilepsy, asked us to get her a computer the next time we come, so that she could forget her uneasy life. Her brothers Goran and Zoran were delighted after we sent them the souvenirs of FC Red star we sent them after visiting them last year.

We managed to visit another two families. We had many obligations, so we visited an old lady Milica and her granddaughter Milanka for only a moment and delivered firewood.

We met new family – Jandrija Ovuka and his family returned after being the refugees, and now they are renting an apartment in Donji Lapac, because the children must go to school. Father Jandrija expressed his desire to live in his modest estate in the village near Donji Lapac, and to grow cattle in order to provide for his family. We gave them two sheep, two lambs and 10 laying hens. We bought sweets, toys, clothes and footwear for the children.

The next family we visited is family Jazić. They are also returnees as the previous family, and they have three children, but we hope they will have even more. We provided a table and 4 chairs, as well as two mattresses. Their sons were very happy after we bought them football ball. We spent time talking to the parents and practicing football actions with children in an improvised field in the backyard.

Charity organization Serbs for Serbs – www.SerbsForSerbs.org PO Box 34206, Chicago, IL 60634 Phone: +1-312-85-SERBS

Monthly Report

www.SrbizaSrbe.us 2011

claiming their civil rights. Our organization will continue to help the Serbs in Krajina, together with the fraternal organizations, in order to help them stay in their centuries-long homes, but also to improve their socio-economic position. This is an appeal to all the associations, organizations, individuals and state institutions not to forget the Serbian people in Krajina which has suffered a lot, so that each of the appealed play its role in improving the position of the Serbs.

We finished the action in the most numerous family, and a mascot of our actions in Krajina, the Ä?ilas family from the place of incredible name Srb. The family had six children, but they will get another one, and perhaps even two. We congratulate this family, whose neighbors provided them a new washing machine. We bought two double-decker beds, which was a logical choice, so that their small army could have the necessary comfort. They welcomed us in the best way possible, so we could officially finish our action.

Upon return we went to the church in Donji Lapac, and attended the liturgy. After that we visited the renovated monastery Donji BudaÄ?ki in the village under the same name in Kordun.

We use the opportunity to thank all the fraternal association, our donors and individuals who helped us with their participation, hospitality and devotion, and enabled the action in Krajina as we planned it.

The position of the Serbs in Lika remains difficult and full of uncertainty, which is unfortunately expected in the territories outside Serbia. They find difficult to find a job, and they have problems in Charity organization Serbs for Serbs – www.SerbsForSerbs.org PO Box 34206, Chicago, IL 60634 Phone: +1-312-85-SERBS

www.SrbizaSrbe.us 2011

Monthly Report Donors in May

Donations in May ($2.090)

1. Alma Vujasinovic (PA) - $15,00 2. SZS Krajiska Braca - $200,00 2500

3. Aleksandar Jaksic (IL) - $100,00 4. Milan Dobras - $15,00

2000

5. Dejan Petrovic - $15,00

1500

6. Ljiljana Vukmirovic (IL) - $100,00 1000

7. 9emanja Lovre (CA) - $25,00 500

8. Jovika Gavric - $20,00 9. Tanja Josipovic - $20,00

0

10. Christopher Petrovic - $25,00 11. Petko Petrovic (IL) - $50,00 12. Aleksandar Krsmanovic (9Y) - $50,00 13. Dusan Stojkovic (IL) - $50,00

Number of Donors (24) May 2011

14. Olja Meyer - $20,00 30

15. Sasa Savic - $25,00

25

16. www.CikaskiSrbi.com - $30,00 17. www.SrpskaTelevizija.com - $30,00

20 15 10

18. 9emanja Lovre (CA) - $25,00

5

19. Aleksandar Josipovic - $25,00

0

20. Ankica D. - $25,00 21. Serbosi Canada - $310,00 22. Dule Shunjalo - $80,00 23. 9ew Gracanica Picnic - $735.00 24. 9.V. -$100,00

Total in May: $ 2.090,00

Charity organization Serbs for Serbs – www.SerbsForSerbs.org PO Box 34206, Chicago, IL 60634 Phone: +1-312-85-SERBS

Monthly Report

www.SrbizaSrbe.us 2011

CHARITY ORGA9IZATIO9 SERBS FOR SERBS

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Charity organization Serbs for Serbs – www.SerbsForSerbs.org PO Box 34206, Chicago, IL 60634 Phone: +1-312-85-SERBS