It was hardest for Jovan to say: "I don't have". He fought for a piece of bread, and he was full only when the cherry was ripe, and now he is feeding others (PHOTO)

- Difficult days came knocking on our door and a great dark cloud came over our house. You know, we were an average family until yesterday, and we woke up without anything that morning. Parents were hiding that from us, to protect us, but we understood that we really became poor, that the fridge is empty - Jovan Milic (22) from Nis starts his story and the poverty he experienced changed his life.

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Problems for his family started in the end of 2007, when his parents lost their jobs. Soon they started spending the reserves they had up until 2008 when they experienced the real taste of poverty and misery. 

- Sister took the greatest sacrifice, as she was the oldest. She suffered the most, she went to bed hungry every day, only for my brother and I to have something to eat. Brother was relatively small, 3-4 years old, but we didn't know that we were really poor from the start. I remember that we celebrated one Saint Patron day without friends, for the first time in our lives. Instead of a big lunch, we sat down by the table and our mother prepared some rice with some salt. That was the worst day for everybody - Jovan is honest.

May was a holy month for the family, they were partially full at that time.

- We fought for the piece of bread during the rest months, and when that month came, I would say: "Now I don't care, we will surely survive this month because the cherry is ripe, we will have something to eat". I could breathe easily. And we are keeping the cherry tree in our yard even to this day. Even though I have food now, I like it when May comes, believe me, that is the sweetest cherry in the world, and I will bring several kilos to Telegraf - this young man from Nis said.

Foto: Privatna arhiva

That honest look on his face shows just how strong this young 22-year-old man has, and it is clear that he understands how valuable life is. Milic family managed to get out of poverty in 2001, and I understand how hard those four years were on them when he says that he fears that they may come again.

- And now we take care of any spent or invested money. Very often I get bored with my mother when she waits for some special discounts in shops so she could buy milk, flower and other things. There will always be that fear in us. Although I am a young man, a student, I seem to forget that sometimes.

The only good that came out of that poverty is that he decided to help other people who are in the same situation. He founded a humanitarian organization "Nadji Raula" and he started gathering money as a student of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. He wrote over 10 books, but he decided to publish the first one. He stripped naked his entire life in it.

Foto: Privatna arhiva

In his autobiography "Poor people have dreams as well", he speaks about growing up in serious poverty, and he shows in his daily examples through humanitarian work that the dreams can be achieved.

- Doing a humanitarian work is hard, especially on the Balkans where there are a lot of hungry people. That is why I decided not to celebrate my 22nd birthday but to symbolically help 22 families. I thought that it is selfish to celebrate, especially if there are hungry people around me, in the south of Serbia. That would mean for me that I made a huge dinner for friends and that there are empty tables around me, with hungry people. I hope that I will be able to help 50 families for my 50th birthday, even more, if possible - the man is determined.

He shows with another detail how modest and calm he is. He thinks for some time, and then answers with a certain weight in his voice, what did he wish for the most while he was a child.

Foto: Privatna arhiva

- I always wanted to have a piece of hard cheese. The readers in my book will learn the reason why I love this type of cheese and why I like taking it to people on donations. Whatever we had was enough for me, only that cheese was missing - Jovan said.

He admits that it was hardest for him to say the sentence: "I don't have", probably because of the environment itself. That is why he dedicated a special part in his autobiography to peer violence in school towards poor children.

- I want to convey a strong story of a family and its significance to youth. Everybody will turn your back on you one day, only the family will be there on the doorstep and the family will be the only one who will help you - Jovan gives advice.

The fact that he has enough for himself, but also that he can help other people, causes mixed feelings in him.

Foto: Privatna arhiva

- I am happy that I can help, but also, I am sad because there are a lot, too much poor and hungry people. But, it is also nice that I can help. We delivered around 3 tons of food to the poor last year. But it necessary to encourage the poor, to teach them that poverty is not a sickness, but the current situation. When I created the humanitarian organization I was just 15 years old, but you can imagine how the people looked at me when I carried boxes with clothes around the suburb, when I sorted them out and while I visited families.

He firmly believes that each of us can change the world.

- I keep repeating that it is necessary for each of us to help our poor neighbor, a friend, although that neighbor may feel uncomfortable, that help will mean a lot to him. A man with a little bit of bread and a glass of milk can change the world - he said.

He will dedicate all of the income from the book sale to the center for children without parents "Mara" in Nis.

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(Telegraf.co.uk / J. Stakic/j.stakic@telegraf.rs)