Maris is a
seven-year-old girl from Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina. She is petite, with a
serious demeanour, often quiet and withdrawn. Unfortunately, home hasn't always
been a safe haven for Maris. Her mother, Iva, faced significant challenges with
her husband, who struggled with addiction, and her older son, who, at 20 years
old, has shown violent tendencies. While Iva is now separated from her husband,
the experiences they endured have deeply impacted both her and Maris.
Iva said, “I’d
been with my husband for many years, and I could never find a way out of that
relationship. But when I had Maris, I had new hope and strength. I became a
different woman when I gave birth to her because at that moment, I knew that I
didn't want her to go through the same things as me. I wanted to become a
stronger version of myself – for her.”
Turbulent home
environments often cause children to mature prematurely. They strive to behave
well and avoid adding to the strain in an already volatile setting. For
children like Maris, it's easy to forget they're just kids. They should have
childlike worries, not adult concerns; they deserve to be carefree, playful,
and free to grow and learn without undue burdens.
This summer,
Maris had the opportunity to do just that. She was invited along to Mission
Without Borders’s summer camp, where the atmosphere was very different from
home. Here, there was fun and food in abundance, Christian leaders creating a
happy, peaceful environment, and lots of other children ready to be friends. It
was also Maris’s first time going to the seaside.
Matea, who
works for Mission Without Borders, was Maris’s group leader at summer camp. She
said, “At summer camp, we’re always careful when we have kids who are there for
the first time. Before the camp, we get to know their background, their skills,
their situation at home. This is because we want to make sure that every child
is really well taken care of and that every child gets exactly what they need.
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