The professional team of the Public Institution Educational and Rehabilitation Center of Sarajevo Canton spent three days at the Small Family Home in Ledići with six children who are currently temporarily placed in the Center's care.

Their stay in Ledići was filled with a variety of activities designed to help the children develop a sense of responsibility, independence and belonging to a group through everyday tasks, time spent in nature and working together, while also giving them enough time to rest, play and enjoy new experiences outside the city environment.

Occupational activities through everyday life

Occupational activities were an important part of the three-day program. In the garden of the Small Family Home, the children picked green beans and other vegetables that had been grown in Ledići throughout the spring and summer.

They also took part in improving the Barakah Corner, the newly built outdoor pavilion in the yard, where they worked alongside the professional team to install lighting.

After the activities and excursions, there were also ordinary household responsibilities waiting for them – cleaning and tidying the house where they were staying.

These seemingly small activities are an important part of the children's stay in Ledići. Here, we strive to create an environment in which children are not simply guests, but actively participate in the everyday life of the house, learn to care for the space they live in and see the results of their own work.

Ledići, Javorov Do and Dejčići

The three-day stay was also an opportunity for the children to spend as much time outdoors as possible.

They walked through Ledići, getting to know the village and its surroundings, while one of their excursions took them to Javorov Do.

They also visited Dejčići, where they walked alongside the unfortunately dried-up riverbed of the Bijela River. After the walk, they took a break at the Ribnjak restaurant, where they enjoyed homemade pie prepared for them by Mother Mejra.

For children who spend most of their time in the city, several days surrounded by mountains, meadows, gardens and animals offer an opportunity to experience nature firsthand – by walking, exploring and spending time in the fresh air.

But the cats were the most important part

If we were to ask the children what they will remember most about Ledići, we could probably have guessed the answer from their very first day.

The cats.

The therapy cats that live in Ledići were what the children were most excited to see as soon as they arrived. They used almost every free moment to be with them, pet them, play with them and care for them.

Caring for the cats involved more than simply spending time with them. The children also helped maintain their Mini Cat House – a small shelter created to provide the cats of Ledići with a safe place to rest and stay.

Contact with animals gives children a very different kind of experience. Cats do not ask questions, judge or expect explanations. They simply need attention, gentleness and care, and in return they quickly build a relationship of trust with children.

This is precisely why they have become such an important part of the story of the Small Family Home in Ledići.

What will the children take home from Ledići?

Perhaps the children themselves gave us the most beautiful answer to that question.

During a creative workshop, they made drawings showing what had left the strongest impression on them during their three-day stay.

Their drawings featured the house in Ledići, the cows that unexpectedly wandered through our yard one day and, of course – the cats.

Three days were captured in just a few children's drawings: a house, nature, animals and moments that were new, unusual or simply beautiful to them.

And that is precisely the purpose of Ledići.

To provide children from different institutions and forms of care with a place where, for a few days, they can step away from their everyday environment, spend time in nature, learn through practical activities, take on small responsibilities, care for animals and create memories they will carry with them.

This time, Ledići became a home for six children and the professional team of the Educational Center of Sarajevo Canton.

And judging by the drawings they left behind, it seems that Ledići – and especially its cats – will stay with them for quite some time.