Loss or separation from parents always represents a huge trauma for a child because no one can replace that affection and love. Nevertheless, the SOS Children’s village project that exists in BiH since 1994, is the closest to the warmth of a home, and it offers the family and the SOS mother who cares about their children as they are her own.
Edina Karup has been living in the SOS village for 16 years. She raised 24 children during that time. She noted that she is very proud of them and that the calling of a mother is what makes her happy. She is currently raising five children, and one of them is just 17 months old.
“It is in the nature of every woman to become a mother, and in the period of time when I was thinking most about motherhood, I saw an advert on SOS Kinderdorf in which was said: ‘Do you want to give someone warmth and love, to provide a warm home,’ and I thought that I am just the right person for that job. I had another job then and I missed the first ad, but I applied for the second one because I felt it would make me complete. They accepted my application and I am happy and satisfied now,” said Karup.
“My day depends on the age of the children. If the children are older, then they help me with housework, because my role is to prepare them for life. Unfortunately, these children must feel the cruelty of life much earlier than the others and I have to prepare them for independent life. This means that they have to know how to prepare simple meals, take care of their clothes, take care of their money, etc. We are now adapting everything to the baby, and we also have the help of SOS aunt for 12 hours a week,” said SOS mother, Edina Karup.
It is important to note that the SOS villages and SOS mothers support their children even after they leave the house, or on their way to independence. Besides financial assistance, mothers are regularly in contact with them, they talk on the phone, visit them, and everything else that a child would do with their biological parents.
“I have to say that all of my children are very successful, I have two students, one is finishing her master studies, and the other will graduate soon. There are also all the other children who finished their studies and got employed, they are regularly calling me, coming here and helping me out. I was always telling them that they have me as much as they want and as much they need. I am very proud of all of them and I think I managed to get the optimum from every child,” said this SOS mother.
She also noted that nothing could be done without the support of a community. Domestic companies are helping the work of SOS Children’s Village through socially responsible businesses, and they have a large number of donors as well.
Centers for social work are making a decision on which child will have the luck to come and live in the SOS village, have a family and love from their SOS mothers. It is important to note that all of them are successful young people who build their careers and create their own families, but they never forget their SOS families and SOS mother who gave them home.
(Source: M. N./Klix.ba)
