Serbia & Hana's Hope

by Dianne Sivulka

Welcome to Serbia, a small country in Eastern Europe. As I write this, I'm in a small village on the outskirts of Novi Sad. My 18 year old son and I are visiting our relatives, exploring some of the tourism opportunities and spending time with the Hana’s Hope team.

Serbia is one of the eight countries that Travel on Purpose launched with this year. As connecting travelers to organizations doing good is our specialized niche of travel, Hana’s Hope in Serbia is a great fit. Not only is Hana’s Hope making an impact, Serbia is a fabulous travel destination that is off the beaten path.

Hana’s Hope is a Christian non-profit organization with a mission to serve the special needs community. In a part of the world where those with disabilities are often marginalized, Hana’s Hope is coming alongside families providing services such as therapy, group play, support groups for parents, Bible studies for parents, respite care, programs for typical siblings, resources for churches, and community education for inclusion.

They also partner with Joni & Friends hosting summer camps for entire families and special events during holidays. Best of all they provide love, support and encouragement to people who often feel overwhelmed and shut out.

The founders of Hana’s Hope are my relatives and they came into this special space of serving because of their own story. Hana is my niece. She was diagnosed with severe autism 15 years ago and through this life-changing experience, Hana’s Hope was birthed.  Her parents' became aware of the lack of services and unique needs associated with disability because they found themselves in the same place.

Hana with some of the staff

Along with practical means of helping, Hana’s Hope promotes a message of inclusion and that each person is created in God's image and a person worthy of love. Services in Serbia are not readily available and even something as simple as handicap accessibility is not existent. They are building a beautiful community of hope.

Serbia is a beautiful country to visit with historical points of interest, monasteries, delicious food, a beautiful wine region and warm and friendly people.

Let us customize a vacation for your friends or family that includes the things you're most interested. We would be glad to introduce to you Hana's Hope where you can spend a day getting to know their work, their staff and how they are making a difference in the special needs community. 

The Hana's Hope summer camps will be taking place in June 2022 and July 2022 and applications for volunteers are now being accepted. 

Reach out today if you're interested in learning more. Email [email protected] and we would be glad to discuss the various options for visiting Serbia and Hana's Hope.