Ringier Axel Springer Serbia’s Blic Foundation has been successfully implementing the “Heart for the Children” campaign for eight years, helping children from socially disadvantaged families. This time, six young members of the Vukić family: Iva (14), Isidora (12), Andjelina (6), Strahinja (9), Voin (3) and Andrej (1), together with their parents, Sandra and Ivan, received the keys from a renovated and fully equipped house with furniture, and the Blic Foundation took care of white goods, bedding, household items, heating for several seasons and most importantly, thanks to donations from a company after the text was published, it enabled a huge debt for electricity to be paid, thus avoiding the procedure of forced collection through the bailiff.

Although the poor Vukić family from Mramor near Niš lacked many things in life, there were certainly a lot of emotions. Thus, the youngest member of the family, Andrej, will celebrate his first birthday in a new environment on May 29, with the joy and love of his loved ones. The Blic Foundation team was greeted by smiling faces of this happy family, and the kids delighted the CEO of Ringier Axel Springer Serbia and the Blic Foundation, Jelena Drakulić Petrović, with a drawing that they gave her.

By the way, the Blic Foundation already saved the house of the Vukić family in 2018, because due to the debt to the bank, a collection procedure was initiated through the bailiff, who ordered an assessment of the value of the real estate for sale. After an appeal, a company from Belgrade called and paid a debt of almost 250,000 dinars. Thus, the debt to the bank was settled and the collection was permanently suspended. Thanks to the readers of Blic and donors, furniture was donated to the Vukić family in 2019 that made their lives easier – a new TV, water heater, electric stove, mattress, bedding, blankets, and the children received a cell phone and a laptop, to follow school lessons more easily. After the renovation of the house, these children will have all the conditions for a normal life, and their parents say with a smile that they can now fulfill their dream and have a total of ten children.

-The Blic Foundation is proud because it managed to help socially endangered families even in this difficult year. In 2020 alone, we have provided help for more than 20 families, and this today is a successful start to 2021. We are overjoyed that this wonderful family will celebrate Easter in a completely renovated and equipped house. We are glad that these six wonderful children will now live in much better conditions. This is another example of how a combination of media, donors and humanitarian foundations can change someone’s life. Thanks to all the people with a big heart who are with us, said Ljiljana Knežević, executive director of the Blic Foundation.

How to join the Heart for the Children campaign?

All people of good will who wish to help children can send an SMS to the humanitarian number 2552 or pay funds to the current account of the Blic Foundation in dinars: 2750010221949709 90 or to foreign currency accounts 10221949724 45 – for payments in euro; 10221949711 84 – for payments in Swiss francs and 10221949717 66 – for payments in dollars, OTP bank, Belgrade.

The Ringier Axel Springer Serbia’s Blic Foundation was founded at the beginning of 2013, and thanks to the Heart for the Children campaign, it:

• helped more than 550 children from socially disadvantaged families
• provided baby hearing screening devices in all 56 maternity hospitals in Serbia
• renewed the Department of Neurology at the Valjevo Hospital
• renovated the milk kitchen at the Institute of Mother and Child
• renovated the only pediatric ophthalmology department in Serbia
• provided 50 air conditioners for 24 maternity hospitals
• completely renovated the Gynecology in the hospital in Vršac and partially the maternity hospital
• equipped the pediatric, ophthalmology and thoracic departments of the hospital in Bor
• bought an ambulance vehicle, renovated the laundry room…
• helped the Children’s Department of Neurosurgery of the Clinical Center of Serbia, which treats children with the most severe forms of cancer
• helps children who need financial help for treatment abroad
• solves housing issues for the most endangered children; only in 2019, three houses were provided and a total of 13 children were taken care of
• donated 74,000 books for 400 schools and 175 kindergartens throughout Serbia as part of the Books for Children campaign.