2014 Macedonia - Christmas Print E-mail

 

We don't forget.....1

 

TACC is dependent upon the incredible generosity of our fantastic supporters and 100% of your donations goes to support children here at home and in those countries in which our national team plays.

 

 


At Christmas we sent a small donation to one of those marvellous groups we've supported in the past – the Snezana Day Centre for street kids in Skopje, Macedonia - who have embraced the Scottish football fans and TACC as friends. Why do we do it? – Simples! – Your donations make a REAL difference to these kids. Here's what difference they made in 2014 in a response we received from the centre manager - Irena. Here's the Centre's story for 2014.

 

 

 

Gratitude for Donation from the Tartan Army Children's Charity.

 

 

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We were really happy because you remembered in this way to wish us success in the new working year. With your donation, you show that you still think of us and the children from the Day Centre for street children. With your visit to us in 2013, you were able to see the unsatisfied needs of these children and why they are cared for at the Centre.

 

 

 

Thanks for the donated money which used to buy socks, underwear and warm clothing for the children. Really, very important to us is the assistance we receive from you and great gratitude for all your members.

 

 

 


3The work we do at the Centre continues to:

 

- identify and register children living and working on the street
- provide shelter, food, medical care and education (both formal and informal)
- enroll the street children in the formal education process
- provide support and aid to continue with the education
- create psychological reports on every child
- conduct frequent meetings with the parents of the children,
- co-operate closely with relevant stakeholders and authorities
- assist in providing ID papers to the children and their families.

 

 

 

 

Most of the 33 children who were registered by the Centre's mobile teams in 2014 were begging in front of hotels and supermarkets. There were 138 children regularly attending the Centre.

 

 

 

In 2014 the Centre was able to prevent 14 of the 17 underage marriages they encountered. This required continuous effort to reach out to under-resourced and poorly educated parents not to put pressure on the kids to have underage marriage or "extramarital union" – difficult to achieve in a culture where such practice is "traditional".

 

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Many the children supported by the centre have no formal ID documentation and without this, many of the services that we take for granted simply aren't permitted – like medical attention and education. In 2014, the Centre managed to have 90 children in regular education, including 14 into the first grade and 3 attending an elementary night school – each with documentation acquired by the Centre. For the first time, the Centre has 9 children attending High School.

 

 

 

Supported by donations from young French volunteers, 40 of the children went on a 5 day summer holiday for the very first time.

 

 

 

5Like TACC, the Centre was established in 2006, but has been continually beset with difficulties to hold onto their modest premises. In August 2014, an agreement was reached with local authorities for a further 2 year lease. A week later a notice was served for them to leave by October. Only through intervention by a variety of agencies and Embassies was the eviction deferred till year end, and now through the media, thankfully the tenancy is extended till end 2015.

 

 

Working through the worldwide DCR programme for children's rights, the Centre monitors the work being done and actions taken, especially for children of marginalised groups, by state institutions and local government. The monitoring is done through the activities of the Centre: Collaboration with parents, Workshops for parents, Workshops for children and free social and legal aid.

 

 

We would like to keep you informed about our activities, successes that we achieve and also the challenges and difficulties that we are facing everyday.

 

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Best regards and thanks to TACC.

 

 

 

Irena Velkoska

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

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