First victory in B92's new campaign, "Battle for Schools"

First victory in B92's new campaign, "Battle for Schools"

Several months ago, sixteen local schoolchildren and five preschoolers had asked B92 Fund to help them in the reconstruction of their devastated school that had no adequate classrooms, toilets, boiler facilities. They had sent their request and got positive answer. It was agreed and implemented. We had found donors and contractors. The reconstruction of the school had commenced, comprising works on classrooms, toilet and boiler facilities. Total value of those construction works amounted to EUR 30,000.

With this campaign, elementary school “Saint Sava” had resolved the problem in their hamlet, but still they are faced with lots of troubles – school director Veroslav Radevic points out, adding:

" We have another outpost in the village of Crvsko where the school lost its roof in 2012, when the snow surpassed the height of meter and a half, and it destroyed the roof. Therefore, the children from Crvsko and surrounding area attend lectures in one of the stores owned by PIK Pester.. Local children had no adequate sports facilities. There are a series of problems that need to be resolved, but if this trend continues with B92 Fund and the donors, we will be satisfied," director Radevic concluded. One of the burning problems for the local community Bare, where hamlets Vrbnica and Crvsko belong, is the road. This regional road is being considered as paved, but the circumstances on the ground are quite different. Out of total 54 kilometers of road from Sjenica to the border with Montenegro and Monastery Kumanica, that is being called Serbian Ostrog, only 17 kilometers is paved, while the other part is gravel road. This is one of the reasons why people from this local community kept moving for years to Kragujevac, Kraljevo and other cities within Serbia and former Yugoslavia.

Representatives of the local self-governance of the Municipality of Sjenica say that they applied with numerous projects to the relevant Ministry in the Government of Serbia for paving this road, but they haven’t got positive response. The first man of Sjenica Municipality Hazbo Mujevic pointed out this problem, asking for assistance Veran Matic, President of B92 Fund’s Board of Directors.

Vice president of Sjenica municipality, responsible for road infrastructure in the municipality Mica Kalicanin stressed that he is angry with the Government of Serbia for disregarding this region and primarily Bare local community where households are mainly composed of old people. "We face with tremendous problems during winter season, every year, snow drifts exceed two meters height in this part of municipality. Sjenica is one of the poorest municipalities in Serbia, in the same time among the biggest when it comes to its surface, also with the most severe winters that sometimes last for six months. People are faced with hard living here. In the last years, the rate of committed suicides increased, which is rather devastating for our society on the whole, Kalicanin stated, adding that we need to do something immediately in order to provide survival and in order for the citizens to stay in this region and other parts of Sjenica-Pester weald district. Out of 600 kilometers of road on the territory of Sjenica Municipality, we have only 20 percent of poorly paved road, while the rest is gravel or dirt road," he underlined.

President of B92 Fund’s Board of Directors, Veran Matic, in discussion with the representatives of local governance of Sjenica and school director stated that he will make efforts, as far as he can, to solve numerous problems of this poor municipality as soon as possible, so that people can continue living there. When it comes to the campaign “Battle for Schools” that was first performed in the hamlet of Vrbnica, Mr. Matic said: "Right to education is a fundamental right of every child. I am sure that families moved on, among other things, due to the fact that parents had nowhere to send their children to school. I hope that reconstruction of the school in Vrbnica would contribute primarily for children to learn and work under decent conditions, and that those improved circumstances would inspire people to stay, he stated during his recent visit to the school."

Donors were proud for being able to support renovation of this school. Representative of BIC Company, Marija Pasuljevic, had expressed great satisfaction that they offered help to those kids, stating:

"Our cooperation with B92 Fund started last year, when we participated in the reconstruction of flooded kindergartens and elementary schools. We continue with our cooperation this year, too, within this new, especially important battle – battle for schools."

The campaign of restored outpost in Vrbnica was supported by the Ministry of Education of Serbian Government, Companies Nordeus and DHL, as well as local self-governance of Sjenica.

"Impressive dedication"

Veran Matic: "I am impressed with the dedication of teachers, school directors and primarily schoolchildren, who under very difficult weather conditions and with impassable roads, at 1300 m altitude do not waste any classes during the whole last year. Namely, despite severe winter, they hadn’t went to school only for one day.

This is such beautiful landscape, completely unused, starting with Monastery Kumanica to the food that is organic in itself. I had opportunity to tour it and it has the most beautiful view in the region, Uvac River Canyon, which is adorned, among other things, the big family of Griffon Vulture. However, the first belvedere is hard to reach and it can be accessed only with terrain vehicles. I believe that such a magnificent landscape, with such potentials can be among most developed in Serbia, not a neglected and unattended from the central authorities.

It is certain that there are other important roadways that need to be built, but those surrounding Sjenica should be a priority because of the beautiful nature, unique tourist potentials, distribution of top food products in other parts of the country and abroad, and primarily due to the desire of the local population to remain there, regardless of its severe weather circumstances.

Sjenica has no maternity ward and it belongs geographically to Uzice district which is too far away for women to give births there and to bring their babies to health care. Some parts of Sjenica-Pester weald that withered away got “refreshed” with brides from Albania. Members of local population explained to me that when I see house plot with a greenhouse, I should know that the bride in that house is from Albania, as they brought knowledge on how to grow vegetables in the greenhouse. In one village that was faced with dying out, having one or two children, now, thanks to those marriages, they have more than twenty children, eager to learn in better conditions in schools that are devastated, and roads that could help them to attend lessons regularly, without facing with major obstacles in already harsh regions."