Generali Osiguranje Srbija and the Novak Đoković Foundation join forces to provide support to parents and children throughout Serbia
Parents whose children attend the preschool institution “Dečija radost” in Pančevo have received free tablet computers for the purpose of participating in the program “Support, not Perfection”, which is implemented by the Novak Đoković Foundation. The insurance company Generali Srbija and the global initiative The Human Safety Net have provided 50 tablets, and the value of the donation is 20,000 euros. After Pančevo, the plan is to distribute tablets to parents whose children attend preschools in Novi Pazar, Vladimirci, Smederevo, Kovačica, Pećinci and Niš.
The best tennis player in the world, Novak Đoković, stated that he is glad that the program has found support and that it is successfully developing from year to year. “I believe that every parent, no matter how experienced, dedicated and caring, sometimes needs advice on how to treat their child in certain situations. I say this from personal example. I like, therefore, to hear experiences from other fathers and mothers, to hear their opinions, knowledge, and to use part of it to be a better parent myself. This program allows me to do just that and I want to thank everyone who participates and makes an important contribution”, Novak added.
The “Support, not Perfection” program is completely free. So far, 1,500 parents and custodial parents from 24 cities and municipalities in Serbia have completed six cycles of workshops.
“We are very proud to share common values with our partner Generali Osiguranje Srbija and help parents and custodial parents across the country to provide their children with the best possible conditions for growth and development.” We are sure that tablets will be of significant help during the “Support, not Perfection” program and that they will enable parents to quickly and easily acquire the skills needed to perform such an important task as educating the youngest ones,” said Maja Kremić, National Manager of the Novak Đoković Foundation.
Thanks to the support of the employees of Generali Osiguranje Srbija and the Human Safety Net, this kindergarten in Pančevo, as well as other kindergartens that are part of the “Support, not Perfection” program, also received books for children under the age of six.
“Generali Osiguranje Srbija joined the global initiative of Generali Group “The Human Safety Net” three years ago. Together with the Novak Đoković Foundation, we have so far implemented numerous activities aimed at providing support to parents, custodial parents and foster parents of children in early development. Over the past months, employees of Generali Osiguranje Srbija have organized activities such as digital volunteering and collection of books for children. This time, we are donating tablets for seven kindergartens in Serbia in order to enable parents with lower income to participate in online programs, stay in touch with the Foundation and kindergartens and be able to ask for and receive support in case of doubts about raising children during this period of full challenge. Our plan is to continue, in partnership with the Novak Đoković Foundation, to provide equal opportunities for children throughout Serbia.” pointed out Dragan Filipović, President of the Executive Board of Generali Osiguranje Srbija.
Smiljana Grujić, one of the authors and coordinator of the “Support, not Perfection” program, emphasized that this donation comes at the right time, as support in disturbing times caused by the health situation, and added: “Parents are now facing new challenges posed by the pandemic and it is important for them to adopt new knowledge that can help their families and build a support network where they can share experiences”.
“Support, not Perfection” is a program that empowers parents with knowledge and skills that they can rely on when improving the development of children’s potential in the most sensitive age. Due to the current health situation, the new cycle of programs will be implemented online and will include 380 parents from Kragujevac, Smederevo, Kovačica, Pančevo, Petrovac na Mlavi, Niš, Jagodina, Vladimirac, Šabac and Belgrade.
The donation was handed over in the kindergarten, which will be reconstructed and adapted by the Novak Đoković Foundation in 2021, after which it will have new premises that will be able to accommodate 75 children. The city of Pančevo, with the surrounding suburban and rural districts, currently has over 350 children on the waiting list for enrolment in the preschool institutions, and more than 2,800 children do not attend any type of preschool program. For this reason, the Foundation has recognized the need to invest in early education infrastructure in this area.
About the company
Generali Osiguranje Srbija is the largest insurance company in the domestic insurance market with foreign capital and a leader in life and health insurance. It is a member of the Generali Group, one of the largest global companies in the field of insurance and asset management. Founded in 1831, the Generali Group is now present in fifty countries around the world. Its premium income in 2019 amounted to 69.7 billion euros. With almost 72,000 employees and sixty-one million customers, the Generali Group occupies a leading position in Europe and is increasingly present in Asia and Latin America. Through its regional office in Prague, the Generali Group operates in Austria, Central and Eastern Europe and Russia and is one of the three leading insurance companies in the region. The ambition of the Generali Group is to offer customers innovative solutions tailored to their needs through a developed distribution network and thus become their lifelong partner.