Preparations for another three-day stay at the Small Family Home in Ledići began long before the children arrived on Bjelašnica Mountain. This time, the important task was taken on by girls from the Sarajevo Home for Children Without Parental Care, together with girls from three small family homes – Sokolović Kolonija, Blagovac and Marijin Dvor.
Accompanied by Foundation Second's Director Belma Mujezinović and the Foundation's volunteer, a pedagogy student and beneficiary of the Sumero Alliance, the girls worked together to shop for groceries that would be used during their three-day stay in Ledići.
Instead of being just another everyday chore, shopping became a small life skills workshop. The girls selected fresh fruit and vegetables, learned how to recognize quality seasonal produce, weighed the items, printed and attached price labels, and carefully arranged the groceries in the shopping cart.
Every step became an opportunity to discuss why eating a balanced diet is important, how fruit and vegetables contribute to good health, and why responsible shopping and reducing food waste matter. Through this practical experience, they also learned how everyday household responsibilities are managed and how important it is to share them with others.
Shopping also became an opportunity to develop other everyday life skills. The girls learned how to pay for parking at a shopping centre, why it is important to follow the rules and keep track of parking time, and they happily took turns deciding who would sit in the shopping cart and who would push it, demonstrating that patience, cooperation and mutual respect can be learned through play.
Activities like these are an important part of the Small Family Home programme in Ledići, which Foundation Second operates in partnership with the Sarajevo Home for Children Without Parental Care. The goal is not only to provide children with time in nature, but also to teach them practical life skills that will help them long after they leave alternative care.
The visit to the supermarket therefore became an opportunity to build independence, responsibility and teamwork. The girls enthusiastically chose the groceries they would later prepare together in Ledići, knowing that they were helping create a shared home and shared meals.
We believe that it is precisely these small everyday experiences that leave the deepest impression. When a child learns how to choose healthy food, plan a shopping trip, help others and take responsibility, they gain far more than practical skills – they build confidence, develop a sense of belonging and prepare for a more independent future.
That is why moments like these are just as valuable as excursions, workshops or time spent in nature. They show children that a home is built through everyday shared activities, caring for one another and understanding that everyone has something meaningful to contribute.
Foundation Second sincerely thanks all friends and donors whose trust makes programmes at the Small Family Home in Ledići possible. Every donation helps provide children without parental care with opportunities to learn, grow and create happy memories in an environment that feels as close as possible to a real family home.
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