Granny Anka from Bojna and the Human i točka Project
Senad Zemunović, Vjekoslav Skledar, and Mirela Sakoman are helping retirees in Banija through the 'Samo ljudi' campaign, and an encounter with 94-year-old Anka Korać reveals touching generosity.
Senad Zemunović, Vjekoslav Skledar, and Mirela Sakoman are helping retirees in Banija through the 'Samo ljudi' campaign, and an encounter with 94-year-old Anka Korać reveals touching generosity.
While many have turned their backs on those most in need, three people from the Human i točka project decided to do the exact opposite. Cinematographer Senad Zemunović, photographer Vjekoslav Skledar, and director Mirela Sakoman launched an initiative a year ago with the goal of telling stories that inspire helping, and their latest campaign, 'Samo ljudi', took them to Banija, where they met 94-year-old Anka Korać, as reported by Telegram.hr.
Senad Zemunović cycled 40 kilometers along narrow Banija roads to reach the village of Bojna, about thirty kilometers from Glina. Along the way, he encountered almost no one, only wild animals, but he noted that this is the best way to get to know the region and see how people live. Upon arriving in the village, Granny Anka greeted him with open arms and the words: "Oooo, my lamb, have you come to me!", Senad recalled for Telegram.hr.
"The first feeling was as if her son had arrived. She didn't let me say a word. She immediately asked: 'Want a beer?' When I sat down, she said: 'First, I'll talk to you a bit, then you'll tell me why you came.'", Senad recounted.
Granny Anka lives alone, without a phone and with almost no neighbors. Her pension amounts to about two hundred euros, and she has only four chickens, a small garden, and ten large plastic bottles in which she heats water for showering in the summer. In winter, her biggest expense is firewood, and wood with delivery costs more than four of her pensions combined. That is precisely why this year she is being helped by the Samo ljudi campaign, run by Human i točka and the association Ljudi za ljude, with the goal of ensuring a warmer winter for retirees whose pensions are less than 300 euros.
However, what touched Senad the most was not the poverty, but Anka's generosity. "On the wall hung an old oil lamp. She asked me if I would film it. I filmed it, and she says: 'Do you want to take it?' I ask if she has another one. She says no, that she lights this one when the power goes out. And she would still give it to me.", he recounted. A woman who has so little was ready to give a stranger the thing she might need most in her home.
The Human i točka project was born out of a need to do something more useful and without compromise. "It all started when the three of us realized we wanted to do something more useful. We constantly try to make everything we do socially responsible, but when you work for money, you always make a million compromises. We felt the need to do something where there would be no compromises.", Senad explained.
His need to help dates back to his student days when he filmed weddings and did every fifth one for charity. He admits that balancing wasn't always easy: "Sometimes you collide with life. When my kids were little, I'd do a wedding for 1000 euros for charity, and at home I'd be collecting for diapers." Despite occasional late bill payments, Senad emphasizes that it's important to see the bigger picture and believe that work will come if you do it well and diligently.
The first major campaign, launched last December in collaboration with the association Sve za nju, was called 'Moja mama'. The goal was to raise 30,000 euros for free psychological support for women with cancer and their families. The Sve za nju association organized 4,000 hours of free psychological support over three years. "I thought the campaign would explode. It wasn't quite like that. We hoped big companies would get involved, but the largest part of donations came from ordinary people. On the other hand, that was exactly what was nice to see.", Senad said, adding that their goal is not just to raise money, but also to raise public awareness and tell stories that might never have made it into the media.
For the 'Samo ljudi' campaign, they found a partner in the association Ljudi za ljude, led since 2018 by Branka Bakšić Mitić, deputy mayor of Glina. "We were looking for an association that works with elderly people. When we met Branka, everything was clear to us. She is so dedicated to what she does that we had no dilemma.", he said. Thanks to her energy, Glina today has fifty volunteers.
Senad particularly bonds with the people he meets. Besides Granny Anka, he regularly visits retiree Stoja Ljiljak and the married couple Milka and Slavko Franjko, whose garden looks like a picture even though Milka can barely walk. He also witnessed the 'Solidarity Friday' action organized by the Ljudi za ljude association, where about ten volunteers helped elderly neighbors stack firewood. "One woman got five wasp stings because they accidentally opened a wasp nest. She sat down, put ice on her arm, waited to see if she'd have a reaction, and when she realized she was fine, she got up and continued carrying wood.", he recounted.
Many people who want to help have gathered around the project, like friends Mario and Anamarija, who fixed the QR code for donations for free. "I believe we all want to be good. I once heard an explanation that it takes only five percent of good, honest, and moral people for goodness to start spreading and changing society. I like to believe that's true.", Senad concluded. Human i točka is already planning new projects, including a campaign for a dog shelter and collaboration with Bradata aukcija, all connected by a simple thought, change comes from ordinary people and small gestures.
