Cherish Our Children International has been working in Serbia since 1999 when war, a tyrannical dictator and ethnic strife tore this beautiful country apart. Our work there started with the development of a Children’s Resource Center which provided on-site and outreach services to thousands of children in the community that were impacted by the armed conflict. Many of these children had been forced from their homes and communities, and they were often separated from their families. Working in partnership with HRH, Princess Elizabeth of Serbia, COCI raised funds to provide inter-disciplinary services to these children and their families, and to provide urgent humanitarian aid to facilities housing children. Since then COCI has provided assistance to SOS Children’s Village in Novi Sad, and tutoring for children living in state run orphanages in Belgrade. These orphanages are now being closed and the children in state care are moving to a more nurturing foster care system. COCI is now devoting its resources in Serbia to the severely disadvantaged and disabled children who are not able to access 
basic medical, educational and social services.
Community Transport, a program conceived and overseen on-site by COCI Board Member, Mary Borojevich, and supported solely by COCI, provides vital access to services critical to the health, development, and social integration of the Roma (gypsies), refugees, handicapped and orphaned children from Belgrade and the surrounding areas. Without Community Transport, these services would be unavailable to them.
This past year, a COCI van adapted for wheel chair use, transported over 1,000 children to 39 different agencies, servicing an average of 30 children a day; even more if parents, guardians and professionals are included. Little Ivana now eagerly awaits the van that transports her daily from her two room, sparsely furnished home in the country to a facility in Belgrade for children with cerebral palsy.
COCI is empowering these children and their caregivers, giving them hope where there was none. At the same time, the likelihood that these children will become involved in criminal activity, drugs, and human trafficking, (all very real possibilities in this environment), is drastically diminished.
Community Transport has only one paid employee, Jovica, who is the program manager and driver. As the father of an autistic 20 year old son, he has been extensively involved with families of handicapped children for many years. His compassion and dedication to these populations are evident from the moment you meet him.
The need for these services is significantly greater than what COCI is able to provide with one van so children needing immediate medical attention will often be transported at the expense of another child. In fact, the success of this program and the ongoing needs are so great that COCI intends to expand this program when funding permits to bring in a second van and qualified driver.
Children's Resource Center – Kostajnica
Children's Resource Center is a new program that will be overseen on-site by COCI Board Member, Mary Borojevich. COCI- Serbia is working in partnership with the Mayor of Kostanjnica and the Department of Social Services to provide the resources necessary to re-open a kindergarten that has been out of commission for ten years in the multi-ethnic County of Kostanjnica, 55 miles radius border territory between Croatia, Republic of Serbia, and Bosnia / Hercegovina. COCI is providing the funding for a new heating system, kitchen equipment, and kindergarten beds. COCI will establish a Resource Center at the school to provide services for all special needs children in the County.
