"I Believed That Only Bad Things Would Ever Happen to Me"
Written by: Daliborka (28)
When I was younger, I believed that only bad things would ever happen to me, that I would always be followed by misfortune. I was a child when the war broke out. My family and I were refugees from Bosnia and Herzegovina, the country of my birth. Soon after arriving in Croatia, my father passed away and my mother fell ill with cancer. I was only twelve when I became responsible for everyone in my family. I had to look after my sick mother and younger brother and sister. We lived in a small house without heating or running water. I remember hurrying home from school to cook for my family. Every two days I needed to fetch and carry drinking water from a neighbour who lived one kilometre away. It was difficult, but I knew I had to do it to protect my brother and sister.
When my mother passed away, my brother, sister and I moved to the SOS Children's Village Lekenik. At first, it felt strange not to worry about a thing. Our SOS mother was there to handle everything. She gave us hope for the new life and made us believe that the future could indeed be bright. Thanks to her and all the employees of the SOS Children's Village, I could be a child again. I dedicated myself to school. I knew I would go far if I studied hard and got good marks. Growing up in Lekenik had a profound effect on me and I am thankful to everyone who took part in my development and helped me become a better person.
After leaving SOS Children's Village, I received a scholarship to study economics and management. When I turned eighteen, I became a legal guardian to my brother and sister. I consider that my greatest accomplishment. I am glad that my story inspired other young people and that SOS Children's Villages International also recognised its merit and awarded me with a prestigious Hermann Gmeiner Award in 2016.
Today, I am grateful for those bad moments in life. They taught me to tell good from bad, they taught me to stay realistic and down to earth and appreciate all the good values in life. I’m grateful because all of that made me strong and independent. Now, I can handle anything.