Foundation Second organized another three-day stay at the Small Family Home in Ledići, giving four girls the opportunity to spend their summer days away from the everyday city routine, surrounded by nature, play, learning, and activities designed to foster independence and practical life skills.

The group included three girls from the Public Institution Home for Children without Parental Care Sarajevo and one girl from the Small Family Home in Marijin Dvor.

This activity was made possible thanks to the support of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, which, for the third consecutive year, has supported Foundation Second's activities through its program for non-institutional forms of care and protection.

Summer in nature, with play, cats and lots of laughter

During the three-day stay, the girls spent most of their free time outdoors, playing and enjoying the nature surrounding the Home in Ledići.

As always, the cats living in Ledići were a particular source of joy. The girls petted, fed and played with them, while learning about the importance of care, kindness and responsibility towards animals.

Foundation Second volunteer Meliha Crneta helped make their summer days even more fun. During the stay, she assisted the Foundation's Director, Belma Mujezinović, in caring for the girls and organizing their activities.

Meliha brought the girls water balloons, and what was meant to be just another game quickly turned into one of the happiest afternoons in Ledići. The yard was filled with laughter, running and splashing water, with Meliha happily joining in the fun.

From the garden straight to the family table

An important part of the stay was spending time in the Small Family Home's garden, which the children help cultivate during their visits, watching the plants they previously sowed and planted grow.

This time, the girls harvested fresh produce from the garden and, together with Foundation Second Director Belma Mujezinović, prepared it for their shared lunch.

They helped in the kitchen, prepared a salad using vegetables from the garden, kneaded and baked homemade bread, and took part in preparing other meals.

In this way, they experience an entire little cycle of everyday life – from working the soil and caring for plants, through harvesting, to preparing food and sharing a meal around the table.

Who will get to the vacuum cleaner first?

In Ledići, the children are not simply guests. They participate in the everyday life of the house, which also means taking care of the space they share.

The girls therefore took part in cleaning and maintaining the house – tidying their belongings and shared spaces, vacuuming and mopping the floors.

What adults often see as a chore has become a source of fun for them. They particularly enjoy cleaning and will often even compete to see who gets to the vacuum cleaner first or who will mop the floors.

 

Through these simple everyday tasks, the girls learn that sharing a space also means sharing responsibility for it. Everyone can make a small contribution to keeping the house where they stay clean, pleasant and welcoming for all.

These everyday life skills are an important part of Foundation Second's activities in Ledići – not as imposed chores, but as a natural part of living together, giving children an opportunity to try, learn and experience the satisfaction of accomplishing something on their own.

Two hours of school preparation every day

Although summer is a time for rest, part of each day was also dedicated to preparing for the return to school.

The girls spent two hours every day practicing reading and writing, revising what they had previously learned so they could begin the new school year feeling more prepared and confident.

In the peaceful mountain surroundings, without the pressure of a traditional classroom, learning became a natural part of their daily rhythm – just like playing, cooking, gardening or spending time with the cats.

Praying together and visiting the mosque in Dejčići

A special part of everyday life during stays in Ledići is praying together. The girls perform their daily prayers together with Foundation Second Director Belma Mujezinović, and what makes these moments particularly meaningful is their own desire to take part.

Whenever they stay in Ledići, the girls ask Belma to wake them up for Fajr, the dawn prayer. In this way, even an early morning in the mountain house begins with a shared moment before another day filled with learning, play, gardening and spending time together.

Among the activities they particularly look forward to are visits to the mosque in nearby Dejčići. For the girls, this has become a little ritual they eagerly anticipate – an opportunity to go to prayer together, explore the local area and experience a sense of belonging to the local community.

During this three-day stay, they once again visited the mosque in Dejčići, where the imam gave them a warm welcome and delighted them with sweets and juice.

Moments like these are another part of life at the Small Family Home in Ledići. Alongside learning, playing, preparing meals, caring for the house, gardening and spending time with animals, the girls also have space for shared spiritual moments which, most importantly, they themselves look forward to and actively ask to take part in.

Ledići – a place to learn for life

The Small Family Home in Ledići was created as a place where children without parental care can spend time outside an institutional setting, in an environment that resembles everyday family life as closely as possible.

That is why children do not come to Ledići simply for a day trip. They take part in the life of the house – working in the garden, harvesting vegetables, preparing meals, baking bread, setting and clearing the table, vacuuming, mopping floors, caring for the cats, learning, playing and spending time together.

It is through these seemingly ordinary everyday moments that children develop independence, responsibility, positive habits, practical life skills and a sense of belonging and togetherness.

Three-day stays in smaller groups also make it possible to give each girl more individual attention and to adapt activities to their age, interests and needs.

Foundation Second will continue organizing activities like these for children without parental care in the coming period.

We extend our special gratitude to the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, which, for the third consecutive year, has recognized the importance of non-institutional forms of care and, through its program, continues to support Foundation Second's activities and children's stays in Ledići.

We also thank our volunteer Meliha Crneta for the time, care and energy she devoted to the girls.

Because three days in Ledići are not simply three days of rest in the mountains. They are three days in which, through play, nature, learning, work, caring for animals and sharing everyday life in a home, children learn skills for life.