With the desire to continue supporting family values in the local communities where it operates, MK Group donated 170,000 euros for the work of the newly established “Support Program for Mothers and Babies” implemented by the SOS Children’s Villages Foundation Serbia. The funds were used for the adaptation, furnishing and operation of the house in Kraljevo, where five mothers and five babies currently live, and three mothers receive support in their own homes. MK Group has been supporting the work of the SOS Children’s Villages of Serbia Organization for more than a decade through various forms of assistance.
„The decades-long cooperation with the Kostić family and the MK Group company was crowned by the “Support Program for Mothers and Babies”. We are extremely proud of the friendly cooperation and relationships we nurture, and I must emphasize that Mr. Miodrag Kostić is the only donor from this part of Europe who received the highest award – the Badge of Honor, awarded by the International Organization SOS Children’s Villages, which has its branches in 135 countries around the world“, said Vesna Mraković, National Director of SOS Children’s Villages Serbia.
In the house in Kraljevo, where seven mothers can stay with their children, the necessary health and material support for mothers and babies, psychological support, as well as support for these women in looking for work and their independence is provided, so that after the program is completed, they are empowered to they take care of themselves and their children independently.
„We know how nice it is to be a parent, but we are also familiar with all the dilemmas and doubts that this role entails. In this program, in addition to meeting the basic needs of life, we provide mothers with support and words of comfort, we try to train them to be able to take care of themselves and their child,” said Biljana Zorić Dimić, Director of the SOS Children’s Village in Kraljevo.
Lidija Đorđević, the beneficiary of this program, emphasized the importance of this type of help she receives as a single mother, saying that the will to live and work are the most important, as well as that success in the role of a parent requires a lot of support.
„MK Group donated more than 170,000 euros for the adaptation, furnishing and operation of the house where mothers and babies stay in Kraljevo. It is a home that our company previously built for the needs of young people. Now it has been adapted and equipped to provide support to mothers and babies, and we are proud that in this way we will help pregnant women and new mothers who do not have the basic conditions for child care, as well as no family or partner support,” said Jovan Purar, Director of the Legal and General Sector of MK Group.
Previously, this house for mothers and babies was the “Youth House”, which was built by MK Group back in 2012. In addition to this, support has traditionally been provided to Family Strengthening Centers, thanks to which numerous activities have been implemented to improve living conditions, parental competences and provide better care and conditions for children to grow up, as well as preventing their separation from biological families. Last year, AIK Bank and MK Mountain Resort gave financial support to the work of the SOS Children’s Village Foundation of Serbia. AIK Banka donated 65,000 euros for the work of the Family Support Center in Niš, while Hotel Grand Kopaonik donated 47,000 euros for the work of the Family Support Center in Raška. In this way, last year alone, the SOS Foundation of Children’s Villages of Serbia was supported by donations in the total amount of more than 280,000 euros.
