DODIK: WHEN TIMES ARE TOUGHEST, YOU ARE NOT ALONE - SRPSKA LOVES YOU

BANJA LUKA, AUGUST 20 /SRNA/ — President Milorad Dodik said in a statement to SRNA that there are decisions politicians make and eventually forget, as well as projects, laws and budgets that change over the years, but there are also decisions that prove their worth if they help even one child get a new chance at life, and those are the decisions of which he is most proud.

"When we established the 'Soul of Children' Solidarity Fund at the end of 2017, the idea was simple - no parent in Republika Srpska should be left alone when doctors tell them that their child must continue treatment far from home," Dodik told SRNA as part of the "Republika Srpska Loves You" campaign, through which the Office of the President of Republika Srpska will in the coming period present the rights and measures that today form the family support system in Republika Srpska.

A parent fighting for their child's life, Dodik stressed, should not at that moment have to think about the cost of a clinic abroad, sell what they own, borrow money, ask others for help or lose precious time trying to raise funds. At that moment, Republika Srpska must stand by them.

"Today, almost nine years later, the Solidarity Fund is not about statistics. Behind it are 1,274 children. By the end of March this year, 3,629 decisions had been approved for their diagnosis and treatment at state-of-the-art clinics abroad. Republika Srpska has allocated more than BAM 45 million for them and covered travel and accommodation costs for their families. Some of these children have travelled abroad for treatment more than once," Dodik stated.

He added that each of those 3,629 decisions meant that somewhere a mother had gained new hope, a father knew he was not alone, and a child had been given another chance.

"That is why the 'Soul of Children' Solidarity Fund has always meant much more to me than an institution we established, and it is what I am most proud of. The Fund shows what Republika Srpska should be - a Republika Srpska that does not abandon its children when times are toughest, that, when we can no longer provide help at home, seeks help wherever it is available and stands behind parents and says: 'You stay by your child now, and we will stand by you,'" Dodik emphasized.

He said the money invested in the Fund could be counted, more than BAM 45 million, but stressed that there was no number that could measure the value of a child who recovered, a return home, or a parent's embrace after regaining hope.

"That is why, when people ask me what I am particularly proud of, the 'Soul of Children' Solidarity Fund holds a special place. Republika Srpska is not made up only of its institutions, territory and laws. It is made up of its people. And its children are its soul. As long as Republika Srpska exists, there must also be a promise to every one of our children and every parent: When times are toughest, you are not alone. Republika Srpska loves you," President Dodik said.