HELP FROM A ROYAL COUPLE

Crown prince and princess of former Yugoslavia work to aid youngsters

About 600,000 Serbian youth live in poverty, often without adequate health care or schooling, according to UNICEF. Thousands don't even have parents to love or shelter them: More than 7,500 live in orphanages with little chance of ever being adopted.

Spurred by racism, Serbs and ethnic Albanians have been embroiled in conflict over control of the region for more than a century. In the 1990s, the conflicts became more violent, leading to thousands of deaths. Thousands more Serbs and Albanians fled their homes, and many remain refugees.

After the NATO bombing in 1999, Serbia has encountered territorial strife in connection with its province of Kosovo. The United Nations has controlled the Kosovo province for eight years, but ethnic Albanians, in particular, who make up 1.5 million of the Kosovo population, are impatient for their freedom. (The region also includes about 100,000 Serbs.)

Recent talks to make Kosovo independent reached an impasse late last month. The United States and United Nations support Kosovo's separation, but Serbia and Russia, its major ally, oppose it.

In light of past and current conflicts, Their Royal Highnesses of Yugoslavia -- the Crown Prince Alexander and Crown Princess Katherine -- are working to repair their country.

In the past decade, they have distributed millions of dollars in aid throughout the former Yugoslavia to sick and hurting people -- regardless of their religious or ethnic origins.

They were in Indianapolis this spring to accept the 2007 Ambassadors for Children Peace Award. It recognized the work of the Her Royal Highness Princess Katherine Foundation, www.lifelineaid.org, dedicated to improving the lives of the Serbian people, especially the youth and orphans.

"My work is very moving and very emotional a lot of the time because a lot of children have lost their loved ones, and they really don't know what happened," Princess Katherine said.

"Some very young ones even ask me where their teddy bears are. It's just a very difficult situation for them. And we're helping them grow with lots of love and care because we don't want them to feel lonely and isolated from the world."

Many aren't used to having anything, not even a single toy.

"They give it back to me because they can't believe they can keep a whole toy to themselves," Princess Katherine said.

"These are children who appreciate everything you give them, and children who appreciate that they haven't been forgotten, like any other child in the world that needs to be loved and cared for."

Prince Alexander's charitable work has focused on education. He's helped establish career centers and scholarships and has also been instrumental in bringing democracy to the former Yugoslavia. He also promotes human rights.

Older youth helped by the royal couple's efforts are grateful, but they say the hurt and struggles remain.

"It's a thousand years of history, and we simply cannot erase it, wipe it away or forget about it. These tragic events have influenced everybody," said Mario Zaric, 21, who has lived in an orphanage in Belgrade for four years.

He lived in foster homes before moving to the orphanage. "I've never met (my family). The primary reason is a difficult financial situation. And they didn't show enough interest," Mario said.

Tanya Trninic, also 21, has lived in the same orphanage as Mario for three years. Her brother still lives with their mother, but her father left home when she was young.

Both young people came to Zvecanska Orphanage in Belgrade because their families didn't have money to care for them. About 40 youth live at the orphanage, which includes study areas, a canteen, a gym, hair salon and art workshop rooms.

It's comfortable, but Mario said some of the staff are unprofessional. "There is definitely discrimination and exploitation; some people get better treatment than others."

Both Tanya and Mario are students at the University of Belgrade. Tanya is studying Chinese; Mario is studying management. Mario is a volunteer tutor for young children, but neither he nor Tanya has a job, and they worry about finding work after graduation. Serbia's unemployment rate ranges from 15 percent to 50 percent.

"We don't feel secure. We don't feel like we're living in stability. We don't know if we'll get jobs once we finish studying. We cannot plan families because of the crises," Mario said, emphasizing that his government and politicians need to be less self-serving and begin thinking of the people.

The princess agreed that joblessness is the biggest obstacle to the country's well-being.

Prince Alexander explained: "Jobs create peace and stability. As the taxation system kicks in, it provides better ways to provide for health care and social services, which are vital."

Those social services are what the princess is working hard to provide through her international nonprofit charitable foundation. And she's in the process of expanding it to include a program called "Lifeline for Youth," which will involve young people such as Mario who think government isn't doing enough.

"I think that we live in a world where we have to involve young people much more," said the princess. "It's a mistake to keep young people in the background."

Despite the great challenges the country faces, Princess Katherine said she's motivated to keep working for underprivileged people because she knows she's made a difference already. Here are some examples:

In one evening, the princess raised over $1 million for incubators for premature babies. Serbia's infant mortality rate is 12 deaths per 1,000 live births, compared to 5 deaths per 1,000 births in developed countries, UNICEF reports.

After helping establish a toll-free line for abused children to call for help, 10,000 distressed children called in the first two weeks.

When the princess learned that a little girl would die soon without heart surgery, the princess arranged for a doctor in Switzerland to treat the child immediately. Today, Deana is healthy.

ASSISTANT EDITORS: Genevieve Yedlicka, 15; and Olivia Haynes, 16.

To learn more

Ambassadors for Children, 1201 Central Ave., organizes short-term humanitarian trips and sustainable projects around the world to aid impoverished youth. Since its inception in 1998, the nonprofit has provided help to more than 50,000 children and $3 million in aid.

For information, call (866) 338-3468 or go to the Ambassadors for Children's Web site: http://ambassadorsfor children.org.

Copyright 2007 Y-Press