One step closer to every family with young children in Pirot

In Pirot, 371 babies were born last year, and today just over 2,800 children under the age of six live in the city. In a community where the natural population growth rate is lower, and the risks of poverty and neonatal mortality are higher than the national average, a well organised health system and timely home visits by patronage nurses represent essential support for families with young children.

To strengthen the capacity of the polyvalent patronage nursing service at the Pirot Health Centre to reach the most vulnerable families, UNICEF, in cooperation with the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Serbia and with financial support from OTP Bank, procured a new vehicle for the patronage service and the Family Oriented Early Intervention PORI team.

A team of 11 patronage nurses travels around 600 kilometres each month to reach pregnant women and families with newborns and young children. The new vehicle ensures that services can be delivered in a timely and continuous manner, regardless of distance. This further strengthens access to preventive and developmental services within the community.

For families, a visit from a patronage nurse is a source of reassurance in the first days of parenthood.

“In the first days with our baby, we had many questions and concerns. It meant a lot that we connected with our patronage nurse and built a relationship of trust already during my first pregnancy. That gave us confidence and a sense of security. It was important that support in those most sensitive early days and years could reach our doorstep. Later, during my second and third pregnancies, even small pieces of advice were enough to empower our whole family and serve as our compass for successful parenting and for the healthy and happy growth of our children,” said Ivana Nesic, a mother of three from Pirot.

The Director of the Pirot Primary Health Centre expressed gratitude for the donation and highlighted the importance of timely services.

“This donation significantly contributes to increasing the efficiency of our patronage nursing service, ensuring that every family and every child receive timely preventive health care, regardless of where they live. A home visit from a patronage nurse is an opportunity to support families during the most sensitive period of life, to identify and reduce risks to a child’s health and development at an early stage, and, where needed, to refer families to additional services. The new vehicle enables us to provide that support without delay, even in the most remote areas of our municipality,” said Prim Dr Sci Med Suzana Stankovic.

Since 2025, the patronage service in Pirot has also taken on a coordinating role in delivering intersectoral services under the Family Oriented Early Intervention PORI model. This model enables early identification of developmental risks and provides support to children with developmental difficulties and their families until school enrolment. This year, more than 50 families will receive early intervention support through an integrated approach and coordinated assistance from the PORI team, composed of professionals from the health, education and social protection sectors.

OTP Bank noted that its support for this initiative is part of its long-term commitment to strengthening local communities and creating equal opportunities for every child.

“At OTP Bank, we believe that responsibility towards the community is an integral part of our business. This year as well, we will direct financial resources to those who truly need support, maternity wards, preterm babies and young children across Serbia. With today’s handover of the patronage vehicle for the city of Pirot, we begin the implementation of a broader support programme that we will carry out throughout the year in partnership with UNICEF, an organisation whose values we share and with whom we are naturally aligned in our mission to care for the youngest. We believe that the strength of a company lies not only in its results, but in its ability to drive positive change and inspire others to jointly build stronger support for vulnerable groups and communities across the country,” said Branimir Spasic, Member of the Executive Board and Chief Financial Officer of OTP Bank.

Dr Jelena Zajeganovic Jakovljevic, Health and Early Childhood Development Specialist at UNICEF in Serbia, emphasised that the goal of such investments is to improve the quality of services. She noted that patronage or home visits are essential for every family, and especially for the most vulnerable families, who are often the furthest from health centres.

“UNICEF, together with partners, works to strengthen primary health care, particularly those services that reach the most vulnerable families, pregnant women and young children. We are grateful to OTP Bank for its generous donation, which enabled the procurement of a vehicle in Pirot, ensuring that support reaches families in a timely manner and regardless of distance. We believe that providing support where families and children live is far more effective, as the approach can be adapted to the circumstances and capacities of each family. During home visits, support focuses on the everyday and practical situations that parents face in caring for, playing with and raising their children, and includes all members of the household. At the same time, particularly for hard-to-reach families, these visits help strengthen the connection with the health system and ensure continuity of support. The donation of a vehicle for the patronage nursing service and the PORI team ensures that place of residence is never a barrier to a healthy start in life,” said Jelena Zajeganovic Jakovljevic.

Through continuous partnerships, UNICEF in Serbia continues to support improved access to health and developmental services for families with young children.