My name is Darinka Milanova.
I grew up as the younger child in a large, hardworking, and close-knit family – together with my grandparents, parents, and older brother. From an early age, I was surrounded by love, care, and a strong sense of belonging. In our home, there was always abundance – not only of food, but of warmth, which we gladly shared with relatives and friends.
My family taught me that helping people in need is a natural part of life.
I spent my summers with my other grandmother – a person who will forever remain my example of compassion and dedication. Having grown up in poverty, she knew the value of every piece of bread and never turned away from those in need. My memory of her warm morning pastries is inseparable from her words:
“Take some to the neighbour’s children, so they can eat too.”
For her, helping others was not an exception, but a way of life.
Over time, the care I received became my own inner need to pass it on. Life often brought me into contact with children and adults facing difficulties, and this only strengthened the path I chose to follow.
As a preschool and primary school teacher, I always tried to pay special attention to the children who were left on the margins – the quiet ones, the sad ones, those who most needed to be seen.
Later, I discovered the Complex for Social Services for Children and Families. From my very first day, I felt that this was my place – a place filled with children’s dreams, hope, and meaning.
For more than 20 years, I have had the privilege to do what I love – to support children and families, and to find meaning in every smile, every small success, and every helping hand.
I believe that caring for children is not just a profession, but a responsibility of the whole society. Every child deserves safety, attention, and love, and every family deserves support in difficult moments.
Because every child deserves the chance to grow up in a family that loves them, understands them, and gives them the wings to be themselves.