This Season of Giving, you’ll meet Elena from Odzaci (chimneys in Serbian)! Her Grandma Mira told her to grab a button and make a wish when she sees a chimney sweep. What is Elena’s wish this winter? And what is your biggest holiday wish this year? Also, what stories of your grandmothers do you remember growing up? Chimneys, wishes, holidays… this Season of Giving will bring beautiful stories. We look forward to sharing them with you – from today until January 8!
Aligned with our mission to provide every child with access to quality preschool education, we are joining the Season of Giving and organizing a global fundraising campaign for the fifth year in a row. The holiday season is every family’s favorite: we spend time together, laugh, play, have fun, daydream, sleep like babies and dream big dreams. This is also the time that reminds us that, no matter how hard the year behind us have been, there are always plenty of reasons for happiness and gratitude! Moreover, this is a great opportunity to show our gratitude by being generous and helping others as much as we can. Don’t forget – everyone’s contribution is equally important!
As you sit wrapped up in a blanket, drinking tea and reading your favorite book in the warmth of your home, and the chimneys on your houses work tirelessly””other chimneys (Odzaci, remember?), are calling you to join them and help the little ones who live there go to preschool. By participating in the Season of Giving, you will play a part in erasing the entire waiting list for enrollment in Odzaci and thereby make 100 children and their families happy. The Novak Djokovic Foundation’s plan is to fully equip four new study rooms in the new block at the central kindergarten, the construction of which was already started by the Municipality of Odzaci and the Preschool “Poletarac” (nestling in English).
Grandma Mira knitting Elena a sweater.
In the event that this amount is exceeded, as it was the case in last year, the extra funds will be invested in opening new preschools across Serbia. Last year, for example, enough funds were collected not only for Nis – the project for which the campaign was originally intended – but also for the opening of new preschools in Brzi Brod (125 children) and Sajlovo (250 children) – both of which are up and running. The opening of the preschool in Niš is planned for next year.
Our founders, Novak and Jelena Djokovic, remind us that the main goal of the Foundation is for every child in Serbia to have access to preschool education by 2030:
“No victory is as important as those that we achieve together year after year by including more children in early years programs and enabling them to develop in the best possible way. Together with our partners, donors, friends and institutions that support us, we are raising awareness of this important goal for a happier future, and I am proud that our community is growing in numbers and becoming more dedicated to the realization of this goal,” says Novak Djokovic.
“Our mission and daily inspiration is to create the best possible conditions for a more dynamic and meaningful investment in children and their future, and we are very happy to share it with an increasing number of friends who support our values every year. The encouragement we draw from every success and happiness of children and families opens up opportunities for even bigger goals and new ideas, and we are sure that raising funds for another four study rooms in Odzaci will be another great occasion to confirm humanity, solidarity and the wisdom of everyone who will work with us during the Season of Giving,” emphasizes Jelena Djokovic.
Season of Giving will enable Elena to meet new friends.
You can watch the story of little Elena and her Grandma Mira at the following link on our YouTube channel.
How to join the campaign:
1. Donate
At this link, you can support this campaign by donating and #MakeAWishForOdzaci. Your donations will help change their lives! Fundraise together with your family and friends. While you’re at it, why not make an adventure out of it? You can:
- donate,
- start your own fundraiser – choose a name, set your goal, and pick your crew, or
- support a fellow fundraiser.
Don’t forget to leave a few words for us when you donate! Share why you opted to donate and how important early development is for you. Together, we are spreading a valuable message for everyone!
*Our Foundation is officially registered as a charity organization in the United States, United Kingdom, and Italy. If you are donating from the USA, you will get a receipt and your donations will automatically be eligible for tax deductions. If you are donating from the UK, contact our Fundraising Team at giving@novakdjokovicfoundation.com, as well as for any further questions.
2. Share the news with your company
Does your company match? Speak to your HR or CSR department – your gift could have double the impact! Opening preschools does not only help the children and their families but our society as a whole. We are ensuring that our future generations are using their full potential and building a brighter future for all of us.
3. Use the power of social media – Be an advocate
You can read the stories from Odzaci on our blog, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn. Share them on your social media profiles and call your friends to join us. Do not forget to tag us in our posts and to use #MakeAWishForOdzaci. In that way, you’re helping us spread the news about our goal and gain more members of our NDF family.
Thank you for putting your trust in us all these years. Let’s reach our goal together once again and enrich the lives of 100 children in Serbia!
Chimney sweep Vlada who will fulfill Elena’s wish””with a bit of help from you! 😉
Our Foundation, together with the founders Novak and Jelena Djokovic, as well as partners and donors, has over the past 15 years invested over EUR 15 million into programs and projects aimed at early childhood development. The construction and the adaptation of preschools, with the goal of creating a safe and stimulating environment where children can grow, develop and learn, is one of our most important projects. Thanks to this initiative, so far, 54 preschools in Serbia have been reconstructed and furnished, more than 52,500 children helped, 2,200 teachers trained, and 7,500 parents supported.
