From the director of a kindergarten in the Serbian part of eastern Bosnia:

I have looked over your beautiful “Bonton za Decu” character-building books along with the teachers, and we all agree that they are very well done indeed. The illustrations are beautiful, and the stories, which are tailored perfectly for children represent an excellent didactic tool for the socio – emotional aspects of child development. We thank you for your concern to support early-learning and development of the pre-school children here in our city.

What better reward could anyone want than to see the smiling face on a thankful child? This was the overwhelming emotion we felt throughout the implementation of our latest Healing Hearts Balkans book distribution project.

Living in a war-torn part of the world, surrounded by poverty, suffering, and people with little or no hope, one can sometimes be hit with the thought “Am I doing enough?” The oft-used adage “Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for life” encouraged us to press in to the production and free distribution of our Bonton za Decu (“Building Children’s Character”) character-building curriculum for children ages KG – 2nd Grade

Since 1999 the Serbian population in Kosovo has felt very neglected by the international community and also the Serbian government in Belgrade. It is for that reason they are extremely thankful for any sort of aid that is brought to them. During our previous project where we distributed our Prvi Korak (“First Step”) curriculum, it was incredible to see the thankfulness of the teachers and directors of the schools and kindergartens that we visited.

Most people could never imagine the psychological toll that would be taken on a small child whose country had just passed through a decade of continual war. Loved ones lost, schools destroyed or in a state of extreme disrepair, and parents, siblings, and peers traumatized. With local government and school districts doing their best to recover, a sense of “normalcy” is often the best healing balm for the impressionable young mind. Just getting back into a set routine such as going to school each day can do wonders in driving those distressing memories deeper into the forgotten past.