North Macedonia, orphans and the future

Ilija Jovanović grew up without parents: an experience that affected him deeply, but also pushed him to commit himself, through the association “Building the future”, to improve the lives of those facing the same situation

Once they turn 18, children without parents in North Macedonia have to leave the public orphanage and look for a rented apartment and a job in order to survive. From that day on, they are no longer entitled to three meals a day and a bed provided by residential care facilities.

Ilija Jovanović, an orphan himself, had faced this difficult moment in 1998 and, overwhelmed by trauma, decided to commit himself to minimizing the number of people forced to take a similar path. And he succeeded. Over the last two decades, almost all national media in North Macedonia have reported on his activities aimed at helping orphans to have a better life after leaving public facilities upon reaching the age of majority.

Ilija recalls that, once he turned 18, he and his peers were forced to leave the residential community. He had only one bag and around 350 Euros received from the state to start a new life.

"I remember well, there were fifteen of us when in 1998, all of a sudden, we were left without a roof over our heads. They even called the police to evict us from our home. I was the only one who had a job, I was a ‘bread distributor’. They gave us some money, but what could we do with it?”, recalls Ilija with sadness. “Buy a bed so you don't have to sleep on the floor or save it so you can get food for a few days? In those difficult times, I thought about taking my own life, it seemed to me that my parents had left me alone to struggle”.

Life taught Ilija to fight, so instead of getting depressed, he decided to do the opposite: get active, commit himself to guaranteeing a better life for himself, but also try to help other people who grew up without parents in public facilities. Five years later, in 2003, with some friends from the community, Ilija founded an association with the aim of protecting, helping and improving the condition of orphaned children.

Having an impact on society

The "Building the Future" (Градиме иднина) association managed to make major changes, convincing the authorities of the need to change the laws in order to streamline procedures and help orphans forced to leave public residential facilities.

Ilija is particularly proud that he managed to convince the authorities to pass legislative changes in 2009 that increased funding tenfold to help adolescents without parents start an independent life upon reaching the age of majority.

Thanks to those decisions, instead of 350 Euros, the state aid for adolescents now amounts to 3000 Euros, giving them the opportunity to live in social housing, and therefore to have a safe roof over their heads. There is also the possibility of obtaining a driving license with simplified procedures, which is important for acquiring new skills necessary to find a job.

"I know what it means to have no roof over your head and to desperately look for a solution every way. I also know what it means to spend every penny trying to improve your situation and that of the other children in a similar conditionas”, says Ilija.

Over the last two decades the association has launched various activities, from basic food assistence to actions aimed at facilitating college enrollment, thus allowing young people who grew up without parents to push the boundaries and advance in life.

A right to know your biological parents

This year, the association began to address an important issue through the campaign "You too have the right to know your biological parents". The aim of the initiative is to push the authorities to change article 123-a of the Family Law, which classifies all information concerning a completed adoption as an official secret.

Ilija points out that brothers and sisters should not be separated when given up for adoption, so as to avoid cases like that of a man and a woman who live outside Macedonia and got married without knowing they were brother and sister.

"We are commited to ensuring that everyone has the right to know the identity of their biological parents. The state should allow adopted children, upon reaching a certain age, to resort to legal mechanisms to find out who their biological parents are”, says Ilija. “Currently, data on parents who abandoned their children are stored in the State Archives and children cannot access them. We insist that this system be changed and we carry out activities in this direction in other cities as well".

The activists of the association are also trying to find a way to contrast child begging. The intention is to prevent children, especially those without parents, from being forced into begging.

A strong will to live

Recalling his time at the public orphanage, Ilija says there were also some positive aspects. He worked hard and struggled, but also acquired different skills and competences. He studied to be a chef, but then he dedicated himself to other activities, such as greenery maintenance, food supply, processing second-hand products, thus learning more trades and handicrafts. He often worked two or even three jobs at the same time to ensure his family had a good quality of life, everything he lacked as a child – he didn’t want his children and wife to go through the same experience.

"I currently work as a janitor in a school and as a baker, but I also do odd jobs in different sectors, such as construction, gardening, painting services, plumbing, as well as maintaining the hygiene of houses, offices and basements. Cooking has become my hobby. My children help me at home, they know my past, I took them to the house where I grew up and told them how I spent my childhood”, explains Ilija.

Now that he is 45 years old, Ilija can consider himself a successful and accomplished man, with his own home and family that he has been building with his wife Dobrinka for 15 years now. They have three children.

Dobrinka is originally from the city of Kočani. They met almost twenty years ago through mIRC, one of the communication channels on the Internet. Ilija is happy that their love, relationship and marriage were supported by Dobrinka’s parents, so he succeeded in creating – as he says – the greatest wealth: a family of his own.