Serbian Armed Forces Members in Campaign of Delivering New Year’s Gift Bags
Monday, 29.12.2025 | Stories from Units
In anticipation of the New Year, members of the Serbian Armed Forces organized, now already traditional, campaigns of delivering gift bags to children and young people with developmental disabilities and children who will spend the upcoming holidays in health care and social welfare institutions.
At the “Colonel-Pilot Milenko Pavlović” military airfield in Batajnica, the gifts were delivered by Santa Claus, who was, along with Good Fairies, brought to the airfield stand by an An-26 transport plane from the 138th Transport Squadron.
Protégés of the Association for Helping People with Developmental Disabilities “Let’s Live Together” and humanitarian organization “In Help” from Belgrade, as well as children from the Primary School for the Education of Students with Developmental Disabilities “Sava Jovanović Sirogojno” from Dobanovci, welcomed Santa Claus and Good Fairies with smiles on their faces. They had the opportunity to enter the Serbian Armed Forces plane and socialize with the crew.
It is a campaign organized since 2011 by the 204th Air Force Brigade and the “Smile as a Gift” foundation for residents of institutions dedicated to promoting the rights of people with developmental disabilities and their active inclusion in all realms of social life.
A similar campaign was carried out by members of the Special-Purpose Military Police Detachment “Cobras”, handing out New Year’s gift bags to children who will spend the holidays in health care and social welfare institutions in Belgrade.
As part of this year’s campaign, which members of the Detachment have been organizing on their own initiative since 2009, 350 gift bags were distributed to children in the Special Hospital for Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Neurology, “Dr. Miroslav Zotović” Rehabilitation Clinic, University Children’s Clinic, Center for the Protection of Infants, Children and Youth and the Institute for the Health Care of Mothers and Children “Dr. Vukan Čupić”.
The children had the opportunity to socialize and take photos with soldiers and officers who, with smiles and warm words, handed them New Year’s goodie bags, brightening up their holidays at least a little. Members of the Serbian Armed Forces wished the children a happy, healthy New Year filled with play and laughter, expressing to the employees of these institutions words of support and gratitude for their concern for the children’s well-being.
Members of the Serbian Armed Forces actively participate in numerous humanitarian campaigns, not only in the country but also during engagement in peacekeeping operations, thus showing that, following the basic values of the military profession, they are always ready to give attention and provide help to those who need them most.
