On the outskirts of Podgorica, in the small one-story house of the Tomić family, we visited the foster mother Slavica and her son Boris, who, since this summer, are richer for two more household members: a girl, Kaja, and a boy, Nemanja.
Despite all the efforts made by the state and UNICEF, the Tomić family is one of the few unrelated foster families in Montenegro. 56-year-old Slavica Tomić turned to motherhood and foster care, as the most beautiful and noble duty, and in her home she is raising her brother and sister from Dom u Bijela.
A big heart, a big smile and love for children motivated the foster mother Slavica Tomić to raise and educate the little ones. Slavica, cheerful and smiling, mother of two adult children, says she is happy to be among people who express their love through love for children. Four months ago, she saw seven-year-old Katarina and her four-year-old brother Nemanja in the Home for Children Without Parental Care, Mladost u Bijela, and she no longer had a dilemma.
With the complete understanding and support of her children, she decided to take care of her brother and sister in the following years, to provide them with security, love and a home that they did not have due to an unfortunate combination of life circumstances. Slavica tells us, what she knows, about the children, to whom she opened the door of her home and her heart.
"My children are already grown up, and I am home alone a lot of the time. That motivated me to take them, to be with them and to give them at least a little happiness and my home, to be there and make them happy. They are wonderful children , they are good, well-mannered, nice. Nena has been in the home for less than six months, and now she is four and a half years old. Katarina has been in the home since she was three years old, and now she is seven. She calls me by my name, that's how they're used to it. They fit right in." , Slavica Tomić tells us.
Due to the illness of their biological parents and poor financial circumstances, Kaja and Nemanja lived separately from their parents in the Home for years. Today, thanks to Slavica, like most of their peers, they go to school and kindergarten, to birthday parties, to playhouses, merry-go-rounds - Kaja, a seven-and-a-half-year-old girl with restless black hair, tells us, while cheerful black eyes watch us curiously from under her glasses.
"I like to go to birthday parties and playhouses, I like the slide," Kaja said honestly.
Nemanja, says his foster mother Slavica, easily fits into any society, so she already has friends in the neighborhood. Until he grows up, he will play with his dog, the dog Lora, explains Nemanja, the owner of beautiful dimples on his chubby cheeks. Then, he says, he will train basketball. In the meantime, he sings us one of the songs he learned in kindergarten today.
"There's a cat around you, be careful not to scratch you, take care of your tail, so you don't go blind, if you go blind, your tail will fall off. When I sing it, the teacher says 'well done'," says Nemanja.
Seven-year-old Katarina tells us how she is in her class and describes her new teacher Snežana.
"Her name is Sneža. She asked me how my dad was doing. I said I was fine. She asked if my dad asked how I was doing at school. I said I was fine and that I got an A in math," the words are Katarina.
Bojana, the daughter of Slavica Tomić, who, in addition to work and numerous obligations, makes time for the little ones and her mother every day, is learning, she says, new relationships because she never had a sister.
"It's not an obligation, it's more a desire and enjoyment. I want to help them, to make their day better, by taking them to hang out with other children, by taking them to the playroom, to the merry-go-round because they've never been there before." , says Bojana.
Slavica Tomić's only wish is to replace Kaja and Nemanja with what they have been missing for a long time, parental love, which these children have not felt until now, safety and care.
"If you have the will to do something, it's not difficult. Now I'm with them and I consider them my children. It's not difficult for me to play with them, stack blocks, watch cartoons. Let's say we all help with school. Those children were in the home closed. They didn't know anything about the outside world. They didn't know what potatoes or carrots were. They like to eat pancakes, soup, chicken the most. They don't choose much, they like to eat everything," concludes Slavica Tomić.
Bonus video:
