On 15 December Big Heart NGO organized a speed reading seminar at the Mother Teresa Memorial House. The seminar, second in a series, expanded on the obstacles that most readers encounter which impede them from reading faster.

Some of the issues discussed include sub-vocalization (saying the words quietly to yourself as you read), fixation on each separate word instead of reading several words at once, and lack of concentration. The audience also learned about the advantages of power reading once the necessary reading techniques have been mastered.

A complete training for improving reading efficiency for study and leisure reading usually lasts 20 hours. Big Heart provided this quick two-hour summary lecture on crucial speed reading points as a free introduction to encourage self-improvement and self-motivation for interested readers.

If you are interested in sponsoring a program in our community service calendar, or participating in future events, please contact us.

Big Heart aims at improving the quality of life in its community. Our programs employ friendship, service and education to reinforce community, love and self esteem.

For the second year in a row, Big Heart NGO in cooperation with Welcome to Macedonia and Christian Center 490 organized a Christmas cheer for needy children on 28 December.

The children, who came accompanied by their mothers and grandmothers, were taught about the meaning of Christmas, what happened on this special holiday and why Christians celebrate it. Each child received a Christmas package, copy of the Jesus film for children, and two story CDs teaching moral lessons.

Big Heart is dedicated to demonstrating love; building up children’s academic and moral education and helping people improve their lifestyle to discover their true mission in life.

Big Heart NGO organized a seminar titled Successful Life taught by neural linguistic programming (NLP) coach Marina Anchevska.

The seminar addressed some of the basics of NLP,  including the way our brain filters information, the two most potent motivators for change (pain versus pleasure) and discovering which of the five senses is predominant and why that is important for everyday communication and building rapport with others.

The event took place on 17 November in the multimedia center of the Mother Teresa Memorial House. The two hour session, the first in a series of planned events, was both enlightening and encouraging for the participants. Most of the people invited were interested in learning more about themselves and how to put some of the principles discussed into practice in their daily lives.

 About Big Heart

Big Heat NGO believes in the worth of every person, and endeavors to help people discover this truth for themselves. Big Heart offers friendship to the lonely, comfort to the grief stricken, and hope to the brokenhearted, helping them to overcome life’s most difficult trials. Our programs employ friendship, service and education to reinforce community, love and self esteem.

The Friendship through Music Association from Norway is back in Macedonia! This year’s project is led again by the extraordinary Norwegian French horn professor Sissel Groendahl, who is accompanied by six Norwegian music students. They are partnering with the Ilija Nikolovski Luj Music High School just like last year. Remembering the fun they had last time, both the Macedonian and Norwegian young musicians are happy and excited to join their talents together again this year.

The purpose of this project is to promote intercultural awareness, friendship and respect, as well as offer the students an opportunity to express themselves through music.

The Friendship through Music programme includes three concert performances:

• At the Music High School in Skopje on 7 July

• At the Culture Home in Bitola on 8 July

• At the Drim Hotel in Struga on 9 July

In addition to the concert series and cultural exchange, the Association has announced a start for its Shutka Project, which will offer instruction for brass instruments to disadvantaged children. Norway will also eagerly donate the necessary brass instruments in July which will enable the commencement of the project in September.

Welcome to Macedonia handled the logistics of the Friendship through Music project. We believe these bridge building activities are an important tool to help teens develop a greater awareness of other cultures, preparing them to be world citizens in the future.

For information on how Welcome to Macedonia can help you organize your next project, please contact us.

A team of 12 people (teenagers and adults) from the Czech Republic came to Skopje on 12 March to donate their time and labor to improve the Butterfly (Peperutka) sections 1 and 2 of the 8th of March Kindergarten in Drachevo, Skopje.

This project, which Young Life Czech carried out in cooperation with LinkAcross, a Macedonian NGO, was designed to brighten up the immediate surroundings for the children, exercise creativity, and encourage volunteer work.

In one weeks time, the volunteers repaired swings, see-saws, and slides, built a wooden climbing frame in the children’s playground, and painted murals on the walls of the kindergarten. This project made a visible and lasting difference in the community, not only because the yard of the kindergarten received a completely new, more beautiful look, but also because the volunteers inspired a spark of gratitude among local Macedonians and sowed the seed of increased volunteerism here in Skopje.

The municipality of Drachevo, Skopje, also invested in this project by placing trash cans, benches and additional reflectors in the yard of the kindergarten. The team left on 18 March, taking with them a trove of pleasant memories and the quiet satisfaction of a job well done.

Welcome to Macedonia provided logistical support for this project. For more information on how we might help you plan your next project, please contact Welcome to Macedonia.

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Pictures courtesy of LinkAcross.

The drawing contest announced for 8 March, International Women’s Day, titled My Mummy, My Hero was pleasantly concluded with a cocktail party on the premises of the Rajko Zinzifov Primary School, where the young contestants (fourth and fifth-graders) were celebrated and prizes awarded.

The first prize winner is Irina Ilievska, second place belongs to Tijana Gjorgjievska, and the third place drawing was made by Milan Gjorgjevski. Each received a monetary prize and a children’s Bible. All the participants in the contest received a certificate of acknowledgement for their work.

Have a look at all of the entries in our virtual image gallery.

With this project Big Heart NGO tried to stimulate positive feelings of love and respect in children towards their mothers as well as to encourage their creative expression. It firmly believes that this will be one of many projects to follow designed to promote good values in our society.

The Big Heart NGO, in cooperation with the municipality of Kisela Voda, is organizing a drawing contest under the banner “My Mummy, My Hero.” The purpose of this project is to encourage positive reflections and feelings among children towards their mothers as well as to stir their creative expression through drawing. Within this project, the students are to draw a portrait of their mother, using a drawing technique that the participants themselves will choose. Entries will be collected by teachers for submission to the contest.

My Mummy, My Hero includes the work of fourth and fifth grade students (nine and ten-year-olds) from three primary schools: Rajko Zinzifov, Kuzman Shapkarev, and Kliment Ohridski. All of the entered drawings will be submitted in advance, then judging will be performed by members of the jury. The complicated task of selecting three best drawings will be carried out by three committee members. Namely, Lidija Janevska, the president of Big Heart NGO, Tatjana Jovanovska, inventor of the new art titled clay embroidery and Branislav Vlaisavlevik, an artist and a gallery owner.

All participants will be given a certificate of acknowledgment for their participation and the best three will be given prize money along with a certificate of acknowledgment for winning the first, second or third place respectively.

Both the prizes and the certificates of acknowledgment will be presented on 8 March, International Women’s Day, at a cocktail reception on the premises of the Rajko Zinzifov primary school.