Much more than work...

It is quiet at the Department of Pediatrics of the Studenica General Hospital in Kraljevo. Only a few children's heads peek out from the rooms, doctors and nurses dedicated to work pass through the corridor. The ward is full of children accompanied by their mothers. Several types of viruses are rampant, the little ones are exhausted, they receive some medicine and strengthening through an infusion, and tubes come out of their tiny hands...

And then, like a sudden cloud of magic, smiling aunties and uncles walk through the door carrying New Year's packages full of toys! On the faces of the children, surprise, then a smile, because the packages are not just toys - they contain joy, hope and the magic of the holiday moment, right now, when they least expect it.

“Oh, that's all for me?!” asks the smiling girl with the braids. She joined the new toys with her Big Smurf brought from home and immediately started studying educational board games with her mom.

Radiant children's faces and pampering smiles - for 15 years in the LEONI Serbia company, the New Year and Christmas holidays have been awaited with special excitement and joy because of them. Presents are being prepared in plants in Prokuplje, Malošište, Niš and Kraljevo for more than 600 children who, due to illness or financial reasons, are unable to spend the winter holidays like most of their peers.

In the village of Vodice near Prokuplja, a colleague received the strongest hug from the girl Nina, as if they had known each other forever. In Vodice, there is a house for people with intellectual and physical disabilities "Sunce". The LEONI team brings a lot of gifts, and they are greeted by Santa Claus, who is disguised as one of the users. After a pleasant meeting, the guests also receive gifts - soaps that the users produce themselves, and a certificate of appreciation.

In Niš, at the foot of Čair Park, is "Mara", the Center for the provision of social protection services. As we walk down the corridor, laden with packages, a low murmur comes: "When are they coming, have they arrived...?" In the living room, thirty users of different ages, from children to grandparents, welcome us with applause. In agreement with the management of the institution, gifts were prepared for everyone. The joy on the faces, the hugs, the holding of hands, the great effort to establish communication with the guests... all this touches the depths of the soul, beckons tears for which it is difficult to say whether they are tears of sadness or tears of joy.

Last January, the LEONI team went to the Association for Helping People with Autism in Kraljevo for the first time. It started with a bit of trepidation because communication difficulties are precisely one of the symptoms of autism.

"We tried to enter unobtrusively, but the appearance of unknown persons caused anxiety among the boys. We did not succeed in communicating in the usual way, we wanted to leave so as not to bother them anymore, but then some primal emotion awoke in us, and after a few minutes the children became calm and we immersed ourselves in the game. An unforgettable experience," - Alexandra tells us. Already this year, the LEONI team happily packed large New Year's packages and confidently went to socialize with friends from the "Autism" association.

At the heart of all these actions is a deep desire for people to feel connected and supported. Sometimes the best gift is knowing that someone sees you, that you are important, that your existence means something.

Every year, the LEONI Serbia, in addition to providing more than 3,000 New Year's packages for the children of its employees, launches initiatives that enable a better world for those who need it most. Every year, more than 600 gifts go to humanitarian purposes, not only as a gift, but as a message that we are all part of the same community. In addition, in August, LEONI donates school packages for champion students - for more than 600 children of its employees and about 150 children from financially disadvantaged families.