Some of the children from the Egipatsko Selo orphanage in Mostar, and Students from the Chelsea Academy and Heathland School in London visited our newest project today, the Halfway House (“Kuca na Pola Puta” in local language) just outside Mostar.
The house provides temporary accommodation, training and support for young adults leaving the state institutions and children’s homes. It is a vital link between state care and independent living, and a little support at this critical time can have a hugely positive impact.
They started the day by working in groups to come up with ideas for sustainable funding of the project. Each group then presented their work. The students had a lot of creative ideas for making the most of the facilities available at the house.
The house and grounds are still quite bare and we want to make it a more homely and welcoming environment for the residents. So the students spent the afternoon planting flower beds and creating a herb garden.
It was hard work as the ground has not been cultivated since the property was first built, so they had to remove a lot of turf and stones before planting.
In the afternoon they spent time relaxing and playing games together. The Halfway House team also put on a wonderful spread of food while the residents fired up the grill.
The visit was funded by the students who each raised at least £1000 to pay for their flights and all the materials used during the day. Everyone at Our Kids Foundation would like to say a big Thank You to them for their efforts.
