- June 5, 2019
- Posted by: sandra
- Category: Giving Back
A charity outing on a rainy Friday was just what we needed last week to brighten up this June! Persist Digital team visited Svratiste, a local children’s shelter in Belgrade, Serbia, to donate money, clothes, food, and hygiene products among other things. Read on to find out more about this shelter, how it helps children, and what you can do to get involved.
The Story of Svratiste
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Svratiste was founded in 2007 by a non-profit organization called the Center for Youth Integration in Belgrade. This is a drop-in shelter, with a goal to improve the quality of life of the kids between 5 – 15 years of age who live and/or work on the streets. The kids at the shelter get a warm meal, place to stay, ongoing support, and encouragement during their education.
Svratiste organizes various activities for the children and their families. The volunteers and professionals are there to help with the healthy psychosocial development of the children and their integration into society. Svratiste’s professional team is made up of social workers, pedagogists, nurses, psychologists, and a lawyer. Together, they are on a mission to support and protect the best interests of the children.
Persist Digital’s Visit to Svratiste Drop-In Shelter
When we arrived at Svratiste, we were greeted with many smiling and an occasional shy face. The small, but colorful rooms were pleasant and filled with generations’ works of art. The host/guardian made us feel at home and showed us around. He patiently answered all of our questions. From his story, we could tell that Svratiste’s main sources of support are the well-meaning and generous fellow citizens, along with some local businesses. We felt overwhelming joy at the sight of coziness, trust and inside jokes between the hosts and children. This really is a safe place.
Right away, we knew we had made the right choice. Svratiste was the charity we could wholeheartedly support.
Donate to the Future
Our team is a diverse group of individuals with very strong core values. One thing that always connects us is our persistent will to spark a change in the society around us.
There was something we noticed that was especially inspiring about this place — the energy of the children who were excited about all the possibilities; unlike us adults, they didn’t wallow in sadness. The kids were so happy about our visit. They even decided to draw little keepsakes for us. Suffice to say the visit was touching and we will definitely come back again!
United, as parents, siblings, coworkers, fellow humans, we gathered to contribute to a better tomorrow. We chose to donate to the future in our own little way. You can do the same. And trust us, you will feel the power of compassion and kindness immediately.
You can learn more about Svratiste and how to donate here.
