Eid holidays are days of joy, family gatherings, and togetherness. But for some families in our society, they also carry a heavy weight — the weight felt when the holiday arrives and there isn’t even the bare minimum in the house. This was the case again this year for one family in Sarajevo, visited ahead of Eid by representatives of Foundation Second and the Support service for families and children of the Home for children without parental care Sarajevo.

A mother of three young children, whose husband had been unsuccessfully searching for work for months, made a phone call during those days — a call that left no one indifferent. She had no food for her children. Not even flour.

This is a family at risk of separation, and their three children had previously been placed in an alternative care institution. After returning to their family home, with the support of social services and humanitarian organizations, the family has been striving to cope with daily challenges. But poverty often threatens to once again tear them apart.

Amina Pohara, head of the Support service for families and children, recalled that moment:

“She called me and said: ‘I don’t have anything left to cook for them, not even flour, milk, or oil. I don’t know what to do.’ These are the moments that catch you off guard but also move you to react immediately. We knew that in a family that had already gone through separation, a situation like this could have serious consequences if help didn’t arrive right away.”

The information quickly reached Foundation Second, which at that time — thanks to donations for Eid packages intended for families at risk of separation — was able to immediately respond to the appeal.

Belma Mujezinović, director of Foundation Second, emphasized the importance of quick action and preventive interventions in such cases:

“You can’t turn your head when you know someone doesn’t even have the basics for their children, and a holiday is just around the corner. And when you know the family has already been separated once, and that there’s a real risk of it happening again because of poverty — it obliges you even more. Thanks to donations from kind people, we managed to secure everything the family needed for the holiday — food, meat, fruit, essential groceries, and sweets for the children.”

That Eid was, after all, welcomed in that home with the smiles of children who received their first Eid sweets and fruit, and with a mother who, at least for a moment, felt the weight lift from her soul. The visit and assistance were, as both the Foundation and the Service noted, not just material support — but more importantly a message that they are not alone, and that there is a community of people who will not let them go through separation again due to financial hardship.

“These stories must not be forgotten after Eid. They are a reminder of how important it is to be a lifeline for families on the edge of survival. Our Foundation will continue, together with the Support service for families and children, to stand by those who need help most, to prevent poverty from being the reason children are separated from their parents,” concluded Belma Mujezinović.

Foundation Second and the Support service for families and children continue to support families at risk of separation, carrying a clear message through their daily actions: poverty must never be the reason families are torn apart, nor children deprived of the warmth of their own home.