An ordinary thing can make their day extraordinary

“It's never too late to have a happy childhood.”

― Tom Robbins, Still Life with Woodpecker

My name is Zuhra, I am 4 years old. I live in Shutka. The largest Roma community in the world. Are you wondering where is Shutka? Shuto Orizari (or simply Shutka as called by everyone) is in Skopje, Macedonia (FYROM).

I live in Shutka with my parents and five brothers and sisters. I like living here because I never experienced anything else. But once you are born in Shutka, it is very difficult to leave Shutka. Especially when you don´t have a real home – I mean a real REAL house but to live in improvised house and provide livelihoods with begging on the street. Like I do with my family. Then, it is not just hard to leave Shutka, it is also difficult to have a decent, ORDINARY life in here.

One thing that could change this and improve my future is education. So I can find some job when I grow up. I am still not aware of this though, I like more to play and draw. And I like to eat as well - pastries, hamburgers and ice-cream, but I almost never do… I am happy if I can eat anything at all to be honest.

I go every day in a week to a Daily Care Center. It is there where I can play and draw and eat! But mostly, it is there where they help me to write and read. One condition of going to Daily Care Center, is that when you are old enough you will go to school. It is there where I can be an ORDINARY child for a little while every day, but also where they try to make my future brighter by studying. There are five fantastic women who are helping us – Irena, Maja, Alexandra, Vasilka and Natasha. They are being not just our teachers, educators, but also our mothers, fathers and friends (even if they don´t let us play all the time!).

As much as I like to eat, I like to write and to count! But ups! I want to write, but I don´t have an exercise book. I want to draw, but I don´t have crayons. I want to go to school, but I don´t have a school bag. I want to eat something nutritious and healthy, but teachers can afford to give me just the cheapest food. In other words – things that other kids consider to be taken for granted – ORDINARY, are very special to me.

Please, help me to have a better future. And an ordinary life.

And not just for me, but also for 119 other children coming to Daily Care Center in Shutka.

Thank you.

THE TEAM:

Monika is a volunteer from Slovakia. She is volunteering in Macedonia for one year. She did not know what to expect from Daily Care Center or from Roma kids from street. She did not know if she would fit for the job. Now she knows. Sometimes it could be hard, but she did not do more rewarding thing in her life.

Jacopo is a volunteer from Italy. He is also volunteering in Macedonia for one year. He is a photographer and all of the pictures you can see here are his work.

Petra is a friend of Monika, also from Slovakia. She is the creative brain behind the design and the video. She visited Macedonia for more than one week and fell in love with the country and its people.

Irina and Vasilka are now the only left from the professional team in Daily Care Center. Only two for 120 children. Others were forced to leave due to lack of fundings. All our respect goes to these women.

BUDGET:

For 120 children in Daily Care Center for one year

SCHOOL SUPPLIES:

exercice book, pen, wodden pencil, brushes, blocks, backpack, eraser, sharpener, marker, watercolors, tempera, glue, ruler

Total School supplies: (with 15% discount for large quantities) 263,5 euros

HYGIENE:

toothbrush, shampoo, soap, shampoo for lice, comb, toothpaste, alcohol denzal, toillet paper

Total Hygiene: (with 15% discount for large quantities) 616 euros

Approximately 880 euros for school supplies and hygiene, REST (minus fee for using gogetfunding) - 1000 euros for clothing, so approximately 10 euros per kid for everything from shoes to jacket, priority goes to underwear, socks, shirts and shoes.