Nis, November 10, 2023 – The Novak Djokovic Foundation, continuing its mission to support preschool institutions and children across Serbia, has officially opened the renovated “Fawn” kindergarten in Nis. Enriched with four new rooms, fully equipped in accordance with the new standards of preschool education in Serbia, this project was made possible by the remaining funds from donations received during the 2021 Season of Giving campaign, “One Wish for Nis,” which were previously used to furnish kindergartens in Brzi Brod and Sajlovo.
In a festive atmosphere with traditional ribbon-cutting and children’s joy, the Novak Djokovic Foundation inaugurated the reconstructed “Fawn” kindergarten within the Public Preschool Institution “Little Bee” in the “Bozidar Adzija” local community in Nis. The project, conceived in 2021 as part of the “One Wish for Nis” campaign (#OneWishForNis) during the fourth edition of the Season of Giving, a traditional global fundraising campaign of the Novak Djokovic Foundation, contributed to the expansion of the kindergarten with four new classrooms and an increased capacity for 110 new children – attendees. The event was attended by the global director of the Novak Djokovic Foundation, Jelena Djokovic, the national director of the Foundation, Maja Kremic, the director of the Public Preschool Institution “Pcelica,” Svetlana Mitic, and the mayor of Nis, Dragana Sotirovski.
The exact amount of the donation for the reconstruction of the “Fawn” kindergarten is 26,522,527.41 dinars. Interestingly, from the funds raised during the “One Wish for Nis” campaign in 2021, which exceeded the target amount of 70 thousand euros fivefold, the Novak Djokovic Foundation additionally equipped five workrooms in the “Little Ship” kindergarten in the Brzi Brod neighborhood of Nis, with an additional capacity for 125 children, as well as nine workrooms for 250 children in the “Blue Star” kindergarten within the Public Preschool Institution “Radosno Detinjstvo” in Sajlovo near Novi Sad. Thus far, the Foundation has built, reconstructed, or equipped 58 kindergartens, providing access to essential preschool education for 55,000 children – crucial for their proper upbringing as strong, self-aware, and creative individuals and members of our society.
“We are proud to say today that we have fulfilled our dream together with children, parents, friends, and partners in beloved Nis – opening ‘Srna’ for 110 new students in their first significant life steps. The ideal conditions for growth and development in a stimulating learning environment are the realization of our vision and mission – where the well-being and joyful upbringing of children are of paramount importance. This will make everyday life even more pleasant and beautiful for both their parents and fellow citizens as a whole. We sincerely thank the city of Nis, dear collaborators from the Public Preschool Institution ‘Little Bee,’ and our esteemed donors for excellent cooperation – and eagerly await news of the great achievements of our friends from Nis in the future,” said Jelena Djokovic, the global director of the Novak Djokovic Foundation.
“This is a significant day for our Foundation – as, together with our donors, friends, and partners from around the world, Serbia, and Nis, we have created a real occasion for countless beautiful children’s smiles that will enrich the future of this important city for the history and culture of our country. The inexhaustible inspiration of how happy childhood is for a child is evident in the fact that from the funds raised in the ‘One Wish for Nis’ campaign, we managed to finance the opening of workrooms for an additional 375 children in Brzi Brod and Sajlovo. We are confident that this year’s ‘Season of Giving’ will yield excellent results, allowing us to expand the positive impact of our campaigns to even more communities across the country,” emphasized Maja Kremic, the national director of the Novak Djokovic Foundation.
“We eagerly awaited this day – and I am overjoyed to say thank you to the Novak Djokovic Foundation and our beautiful city for succeeding, through teamwork, in obtaining ‘Fawn.’ This form of collaboration with the Foundation is a great honor and privilege for us because this is the fourth kindergarten whose construction Novak Djokovic Foundation has supported in Nis, providing equal opportunities for a large number of children. Thanks to professionalism, dedication, and love for children, we will enable around another hundred children to grow up in a safe and stimulating environment, through play and learning with their peers. The ‘Fawn’ kindergarten is very important in our institution because its opening solves the issue of a larger coverage of children in the municipal district of Medijama. We will all remember this day for a long time, and once again, thanks to our greatest athlete Novak Djokovic, thanks to the Foundation, and thanks to the city and the mayor of Nis,” highlighted Svetlana Mitic, the director of the Public Preschool Institution “Little Bee” in Nis.
“This is the third kindergarten we are opening in Nis with the Novak Djokovic Foundation. It will host around 110 children from the territory of our largest municipality, GO Medijana, where there is also the highest number of children waiting for a place in kindergarten. Our goal is for there to be no more waiting lists in Nis. The Novak Djokovic Foundation is selflessly helping us in this, and with its help, we have already opened two kindergartens in the neighborhoods of Nikola Tesla and ‘9.maj,’ which, like this kindergarten, are equipped according to world standards. I thank the Novak Djokovic Foundation for being dedicated to the youngest, with whom we bring great joy – for them to grow up and be happy in an organized space, and for parents to be carefree about their children,” said Dragana Sotirovski, the mayor of Nis, on this occasion.
