None of that would be possible without all the generous people who believe in our mission. However, there is still a long way to go.
Support School Builds - to give every child an equal chance.
Preschool should be a safe and stimulating place that nurtures a childs talents and curiosity through play and interaction with their peers.
This kind of place is the reality every child deserves to live.Most grow up not developing their emotional, social and cognitive skills early on, which impacts
Thats why our Foundation has been on a mission to provide every child in Serbia with access to quality early childhood education since 2007. And each day, brick by brick, we are closer to achieving our goal. greatly how they live the rest of their life.
We create a stimulating early learning environment by building or renovating preschools and equipping them with new toys, books and didactic material. Thanks to our close cooperation with local authorities, each new preschool place that we open will benefit all future generations in that local community.
In Serbia, only every fourth child from rural households has access to preschool education.*
There are not enough preschools, and those that do exist are usually in a very bad infrastructural condition with outdated equipment, because local authorities in these areas are particularly faced with financial challenges.
With a motivation to change this statistic for the better, since 2013, we have been implementing the project Schools of Life. Our aim is to provide access to quality preschool education to children from rural areas aged 3 to 5.5 years who, until now, for various reasons, were in no way included in one of the preschool programs.
The project was created under the auspices of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development.
LEARN MOREWe create a stimulating early learning environment by building or renovating preschools and equipping them with new toys, books and didactic material. Thanks to our close cooperation with local authorities, each new preschool place that we open will benefit all future generations in that local community.
Inclusive Early Childhood Education and Care project is a joint effort between the Novak Djokovic Foundation, the World Bank, and the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science, and Technological Development. Once completed, it will have granted access to at least 3,000 children to preschool education.
LEARN MOREBy participating in sports, children are exposed to various mental, social, emotional, physical and educational benefits. Given our founder’s ambassadorial role as one of the Champions for peace of the Peace and Sport organization and his active participation in the establishment of the International Day of Sports for Development and Peace by the UN, encouraging children to be more physically active is a very important part of our work. Therefore, every year on the 6th of April, we organize various sports activities for children that nurture teamwork, fair play, peace and diversity.
Books are an essential part of life, and literacy is a basic human right. We want children everywhere to fall in love with literature because we know that reading means learning, learning means freedom, and freedom means endless possibilities. So in honor of World Book Day, every year we donate books to children all over Serbia. Because every child deserves to discover the books that make their souls soar and the texts that will enable their dreams to crystallize into reality. Besides our donations, we actively work on raising awareness about the long-term benefits of reading at an early age.
The celebration of the winter holidays is a time of joy and wonder, a time for family, belonging, and love. However, for many children in Serbia, this time of year is also often a time of sadness, as it serves as a poignant reminder that things are not quite as they should be. Every year we try to do something special for children who have experienced certain difficulties: children in foster care, whose families are beneficiaries of social security, children from Roma minorities, and patients at children’s hospitals. We organize games and theatre plays, we sing and even welcome Santa Claus to spend time with them. All children receive New Year’s presents full of books, toys, didactic material, clothes, and hygiene products.
Preschools we open enrich the childhood of children all across Serbia. Click on the map and take a close look at them.
None of that would be possible without all the generous people who believe in our mission. However, there is still a long way to go.
Support School Builds - to give every child an equal chance.
While they are getting the quality early start they deserve, at the same time, the entire community has long-term benefits that can be passed on for generations.
Meet children and teachers we helped.
READ OUR FIELD STORIESOur work is recognized and supported locally, nationally, and internationally.
In 2021, we signed an agreement with the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development on partnership cooperation on the Project of Inclusive Early Childhood Education and Care, which is financed with the support of the World Bank. It has already granted thousands of children with access to school.
learn moreThe NDF works with partners from all over the world to achieve our goal of a quality preschool education for all.