RADOJE IS ONLY TWELVE, BUT HARDSHIP HAS MADE HIM HEAD OF HOUSEHOLD: His Mother Left Him at Birth, He Calls His Grandmother Mum…
‘I sold one sow and bought a female calf, named Ruža. I want to have my own house and a full barn one day, with sheep and cows, and a tractor,’ says Radoje, who has been raised by his grandmother since he was 15 days old
ČAČAK – Although he is only 12 years old, little Radoje Đokić from the village of Katrga near Čačak has already felt the weight of life on his small shoulders.
His mother left him at birth, and his grandmother took him in and has been raising him since he was 15 days old. Today, he calls her mum because he knows no other.
He is a hardworking, honest, and smart boy. Even though he is still just a child, he performs all the farm chores with zeal, as he is already aware that only through his own hard work can he become the head of the household one day.
"I know how to do everything, and it’s not hard for me. I mow the meadows, carry the grass, and feed the animals. I sold one sow and bought a female calf, named Ruža. I want to have my own house and a full barn one day, with sheep and cows, and a tractor," Radoje tells RINA.
Besides Radoje, his grandmother Mira is also raising her granddaughter Ivona, who is also 12 years old and the daughter of Mira’s deceased daughter. They all live together in a small, dilapidated house that leaks when it rains. Everything is worn out and unsuitable, yet together they fight to turn the ground-floor house into their home.
Radoje’s room has a window overlooking the barn, which is attached to the dilapidated house. But he modestly says that he doesn’t want a nicer view because he loves animals so much.
"I took Radoje when he was just a kilo of meat. My nephew’s wife gave birth and left him, and since then, I went to Social Services and got custody. I wanted to give him some love and a home. He knows that I am his grandmother, but since he could speak, he has called me mum. He and Ivona are my motivation to keep fighting. For years, I worked as a labourer and gave everything I earned to them. Because of the hard work, I became ill, but I continue to fight for them. The children are good; they are much more mature than their peers. I know that children tease Radoje at school because he lives in poor conditions, and I see the desire in his eyes to work and change that. I cannot give up because of him," Mira Mirković says with tears in her eyes.
Good people have heard their sad story and organised to help. Vesna Mladenović from Gornji Milanovac personally visited Radoje, his grandmother, and sister, bringing them some things they needed but couldn’t afford.
So Radoje received his first mobile phone about twenty days ago.
"I found out about them and wanted to help somehow. When I arrived, I saw that they really live in very difficult conditions. The house is very unsuitable, so we organised to whitewash and spruce it up a bit," Vesna says.
A taxi association from Čačak also contributed by providing free transportation for workers to this village, but the goal is to further help this struggling family.
"Summer is ahead, and I hope more good people will come forward to help build a new house for them."
"Fill the barn with a bit more livestock to give Radoje even more drive to work hard, be happy, and become a true Moravian man of the house one day," says Ivan Mladenović, one of the initiators of this humanitarian mission.
Kurir.rs/RINA
