The Order of Malta has the millennium old history of assistance to the poor, the weak, the sick, the elderly and the lonely.

In Serbia the Embassy of the Sovereign Order in Belgrade, has promoted various humanitarian initiatives together with programmes of instruction and formation, in particular for adolescents and orphans.

The parents and the medical staff, giving assistance to children carrying difficult pathologies that require special treatment or in need of surgery that requires significant and rare skills, during the year 2019, have the possibility of informing the Embassy of the Order of Malta in Belgrade of their situation and their needs.

In 2015 the project undertaken by the Embassy under the name of “Make a WISH to the Sovereign Order of Malta”, financed with the successful Charity-Dinner held in the Principality of Monaco, has reached 1.500 children from the areas that were hardly stricken by the floods in 2014.

The positive results have encouraged to repeat the same initiative in 2016 with a new “Make a WISH to the Order of Malta” destined to children and adults with physical and mental disabilities. The beneficiaries of the 2016 project live in two institutes: The children’s and youth Institute in Sremcica (near Belgrade), a public institute giving shelter to up to three hundred people of different ages, and the House for people with mental disabilities of the Monastery of the Orthodox Serbian Church “Holy Petka” in the village of Izvor (near Paracin in central Serbia) that can host up to ninety two females, also of different ages.

WISHES such as medical equipment for a faster and better diagnosis in Izvor, and large amounts of clothes in Sremcica have thus become reality. Furthermore industrial washing and drying machines have been delivered to both Izvor and Sremcica, to improve the hygienic conditions. Izvor has also received a fully equipped ambulance while in Sremcica finally arrived the long awaited mini-bus, together with other minor WISHES.

In 2017 the project, encouraged by the highest authorities of the Sovereign Order of Malta and Serbia, has provided the surgical operations in private hospitals for the difficult medical cases that can’t be resolved in the country in a timely manner due to the long waiting lists in the public hospitals with the financial aid of the Embassy of the Sovereign Order of Malta.

During 2017 we have given help to six children in need of simple surgical interventions – that could have been performed only after a long waiting time – or complex surgical operations as in case with our little Sandra.

The year 2018 began with granting of a medical device WISH for the Institution St. Petka in Izvor. The project then continued with our “affectionate” little Sandra (visit our website, news published on Nov. 8, 2017). March 7, we returned to St. Petka to grant another WISH related to the need for another medical device.

From July 11, we started to collaborate with the Union of the blind Serbia (http://www.savezslepih.org.rs) where we returned on October 13 to deliver one of their most useful and desired WISHES – a Breille printing machine.

Sometimes even a car – indispensable in community – can be a WISH that deserves our attention, so we delivered it on July 27 to Mother Superior Glikerija from the Center St. Petka. In the end, two surgical operations – one of them particularly delicate – in November and December. And for the first time the intervention was carried out, in Nis, to an 85-year-old lady.

With these experiences, always encouraged by the Faith and the mission of the Order, also in 2019 with the “Make a Wish to the Order of Malta” we will try to help as many people as possible with priority towards the weakest, children and orphans.

The above mentioned cases should be priorly reported to the Embassy of the Sovereign Order of Malta in Belgrade, with a detailed written description of the pathology, drawn by the medical staff (doctor or hospital) in charge of the case (text preferably in English language).