To Croatia With Love

To my dear family and friends
May peace and blessings be unto you and your loved ones and may God Almighty keep you all safe, healthy and warm during these trying times. Amen

I write this with a heavy and shaken heart,

as if this pandemic hasn't been challenging enough, many of you have seen in the news that my family's country, Croatia, has suffered the worst earthquake in Croatian history in 140 years. The series of earthquakes were felt all over the Balkans. But the images if the highly stricken areas, belong to the cities where my family lives. One thing the media isn't highlighting, is that there was more than one earthquake and they are still experiencing strong after shocks that are further destroying whatever is left. There has been rainfall that has turned the debris into mud creating an even greater challenge for them to restore the land.

The 6.4 magnitude earthquake was the third earthquake felt within 24 hours of the first two- while we prayed it was over, the tremors have not stopped and they are strong. Pretrinja and Sisak are home to the largest hospital and it is rendered unusable. Many patients and newborns are on the streets and all of the patients must be relocated. The impact has been catastrophic and a true nightmare to witness. But even more so for the families who are living this nightmare in Croatia. As I write this people are sleeping out in the cold, they have no power, no water and an extremely low supply of food. The elderly and poor are scared and it is evident in the faces of our brothers and sisters. Many are still searching through the damaged buildings and homes to locate survivors. Some people still havent been found.

Although many of us family and friends are on the other side of the world, we are deeply feeling that impact of what we are witnessing and hearing from our families. We worry deeply for Croatia and we weep with incredible sorrow. 

Not many people realize this, but Croatia is not a rich country and many of the families that live in the cities you see online are extremely poor. Our families have spent years, especially in the effected areas of the earthquake-decades even, trying to rebuild the damage done by the wars of the past. These earthquakes have set them back and it is truely heartbreaking. This is my family. 

They have not slept and I have not slept either. I cant sleep knowing that they are without electricity, without food, water and basic supplies to survive. Us families are trying our very best to help back home, but due to the strain of the pandemic many of us do not have enough to help and we humbly seek your aid to provide basic needs for our families and our neighbors in Sisak, Petrinja, Zagreb, Karlovac and many other places that were struck by the many, many earthquakes. 

As many of you know, I have devoted much of my time fundraising for many different causes and countries and I endeavor to help those in need as my duty in this life. But this time, I desperately reach out to you for help to aid during this crisis in the streets that I have roamed and played in as a child. I must focus all my energy into making sure that my family and the beautiful people of Croatia know that they are not forgotten, they are prayed for and that we are here with them and for them- with love. 

I ask you to donate whatever you can, every dollar helps as our currency is much stronger than theirs and will allow us to provide emergency aid, food, shelter, medicine and clean water. 

I pray that you help me help them, so we can lift the strain off their shoulders so they can focus on their road to recovery. 

Hvala vam 

-Dajana Kovacevic