The educational project "My Sweet Educational Holiday" gained another dimension called "Let's offer compassion, friendship and love to the children of Ethiopia" with a goal to help in some way children living in the conflict area and other poor living conditions.
In December 2020 and January 2021, I realized the educational project "My Sweet Educational Holiday" in which children from Serbia and distinguished people in our cultural and public scene participated in online classes. In August 2021, the financial part of this project was realized under the motto "Let's offer compassion, friendship, and love to the children of Ethiopia".Support and help reached the children who fled the war in Ethiopia.
Među ovim javnim ličnostima, u projektu je učestvovala i svojim dobročinstvom pomogla i Marta Kiš Buterer, takođe jedna od Najboljih edukatora Srbije za 2020. godinu.
We held together classes for Serbian children on different topics. Each guest, an expert in his field, passed on his knowledge to the students. Common to all classes were messages of compassion, respect, esteem, and love for all the children around the world. After these classes, children in Serbia and Ethiopia drew drawings for each other, spread knowledge from these two countries, exchanged love, and made another bridge of friendship.
Roditelji, prijatelji i gosti na časovima uplaćivali su na humanitarni račun onoliko novca koliko su mogli i želeli. Deca izbegla iz rata su dobila odeću. Mnoge porodice su toliko siromašne da deca po ceo dan provode u gradu tražeči i snalazeći se za hranu. Deo donacije sam usmerio na hranu za tu decu i njihove nastavnike. Tako sam napravio blagi kompromis na rečenicu iz pisma iz Etiopije: “Sada od Vas očekujemo direktne instrukcije: da li želite da novac usmerimo na obrazovanje, hranu ili odeću?”.
At the ceremony of granting material support to students, the director of education of the Ethiopian Education Center, Mr. Asmassu, gave a lecture on the Republic of Serbia and spoke to the children about this project. Particularly touching are the photographs of Ethiopian children holding our and Ethiopian flags, drawings of children from Serbia, and waving flags of our two countries. I asked Mr. Asmassu to agree with the education authorities in Ethiopia that food support for teachers doesn’t be provided at the ceremony.
At the end of the month, approval for publishing photos of children will arrive from Ethiopia. Then I will make a video "Stand by me" with images of children from Serbia and Ethiopia. The video will also include a photo of children holding an inscription in English – The Association “Živojin Mišić”.
The Ethiopian Center for Development, with the mediation and support of the Pestalozzi Children’s Foundation , expressed their desire to continue our cooperation. I told them "to keep our flag" and that we will continue this project. These days, war has erupted in another part of Ethiopia, inflation is rising, and food is getting more expensive every day. I am currently working on networking teachers and schools who want us to expand and continue this story. These days, teachers from four primary and two secondary schools in Serbia contacted me.
The Association for Encouraging Entrepreneurship "Živojin Mišić" sponsored of this project and the book "Bridges of Friendship". From the award Best Educators of Serbia, the Association financed the printing of this book. In the book, Jasminka Petrović, our famous children's writer, wrote about this project, among other things:
"I want to single out the project “My beautiful, educational holiday”. During the pandemic, when we were all more or less confused, worried, scared, tired, sad, angry, apathetic, Peđa conceptualized and realized his noble idea. He brought together artists, peacemakers, historians, athletes, children, parents, and many others to offer the children of Africa sympathy, friendship, and love. Peđa's starting point was - when it is so difficult for us to fight the virus, how hard it is for those who do not have medicine, food, soap, or even clean water. A bridge was built from Serbia to Ethiopia, thin and gentle yet strong enough to convey our modest gifts, good intentions, and warm greetings. Teacher Peđa, an architect and builder, with this project gave us the opportunity to do something useful for others, and most of all for ourselves. Because when we build bridges of friendship, we feel satisfied, fulfilled, creative, energetic, healthy, and happy."