A young boy standing in front of the SOS building being constructed in Pristina, Kosovo
I've been reading about the construction of an SOS Social Centre in Pristina, Kosovo. It is quite interesting to see the planning required to get the physical buildings in place. This is part of the report I read:
- Lisa
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A young boy standing in front of the SOS building being constructed in Pristina, Kosovo
I've been reading about the construction of an SOS Social Centre in Pristina, Kosovo. It is quite interesting to see the planning required to get the physical buildings in place. This is part of the report I read:
A contract was signed 16 June 2000 in the capital of the Kosovo between SOS Children's Villages and the government, under the leadership of the UN (UNMIK), to construct an SOS Social Centre there. The go-ahead was given for the realisation of this social centre in Pristina following intensive talks and joint efforts with UNMIK and the local authorities in Kosovo which started back in February 2000. This facility is intended for families who need social support to rebuild their lives during the difficult, post-war times. The SOS Social Centre project in Pristina will include, amongst other things, an SOS nursery school with day-care facilities for a total of 125 pre-school children. It will be built on a fully integrated site in the residential area of Velania, on the edge of the capital city.
It will be possible for families, and especially working mothers, to leave their children in the care of the SOS nursery whilst they are at work during the day. Furthermore, children and mothers from the neighbourhood will be able to enjoy free medical care and social support. There will also be a transit home in the same building where about 20 abandoned children will be temporarily accommodated and cared for until the authorities have managed to determine whether their families can be found or not. The official permission for this project to go ahead marks another step in the direction towards normality of life in the Kosovo. The SOS Social Centre in Pristina will also contribute towards the reconstruction of the infrastructure in the country.
- Mary
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Children doing writing exercises in the SOS school in Santa Cruz, Jordan
Massar currently lives at the SOS Youth Facility in Amman, Jordan. She has studied very hard throughout last year for her national high-school exams, and earned an 84% average. Massar will start university soon, something she has been looking forward to for a very long time.
Always Aiming High
For Massar, 18, last year was all about studying hard. Massar, who lives at the youth house of SOS Children's Village Amman in Jordan, sat the national high school exams in July, earning an 84% average. Her grades have qualified her to study engineering, one of the two fields that Massar had always wanted to get into. Her first choice and dream was studying at medicine school though.
"I would not have accepted anything less than engineering; I was willing to go as far as repeating the year if I could not have gotten into the school I wanted," she says with overwhelming confidence. "I believe I could have done better than 84%. I set my goal to succeed and excel in life a long time ago and have worked very hard to achieve my dreams since," says the girl, who describes herself as a "perfectionist."
"Our only 'weapon' is our education"
Asked what has made her this determined and focused, she says without hesitation, "I did not create my situation or chose to be an orphan; many people look down at people like me because we have been abandoned by our families or have lost our parents. I want to change such views and let them know that abandoned children are not losers and can be high achievers. I want to have a good education, so I can secure a good life for myself and my children in the future. People like us have to work very hard for a good life and no one will help us if we don't help ourselves. This is particularly true for us girls; our only 'weapon' is our education."
The director of SOS Children's Village Amman, Hossam Abou Goab, who has known Massar since 1995, believes in her potential and admires her determination. "When she sets a goal, she works hard to achieve it." The issue he finds to be challenging about Massar though is her constant fear of tomorrow. "Massar has never lived her life day by day; she worries a lot. At the village we have been working hard to help her overcome her fears. Her SOS mother, Fatima, who Massar is very attached to, has given her a lot of support in this regard."
Fatima, who has raised Massar since she was one month old, is a proud mother. "My daughter has always been distinguished in everything she did both at the village and at school. She was always an excellent student and well-behaved. From early childhood on, she used to tell me: 'mom, I have to become a successful and important person'," she says.
Exciting plans
Massar plans to join the German-Jordanian University and specialise in computer engineering-software systems. Asked about her feelings towards university, Massar answers with a radiant smile "I'm very excited about university; I find it so intriguing. I have dreamt of university for a very long time. I think it's a huge responsibility, but I'm ready for it."
Fatima is excited too. She believes nothing can stand in her daughter's way or break her. "I have no doubt that she is ready for university and will excel in her studies. I know my daughter very well and all she needs is support from those who love her. She is a very strong person and does not give up easily," says Fatima with teary eyes.
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