“Strong alone, unstoppable together” marks Humanitarian Day in Novi Pazar

Zoomer | Lejla Čmanjčanin | 21 August 2026

Photo credit: Teodora Šulj, Zoomer

Humanitarian Day was celebrated in Novi Pazar on Wednesday, 19 August 2026, with a street sports event organised by the NGO Svetionik and NGO Atina. The event featured a variety of games and activities for children and older residents, and visitors could also purchase books, with proceeds donated to humanitarian causes.

The event was organised as part of the project “Strong alone, unstoppable together”, with the aim of engaging as many young people as possible and promoting positive and healthy values through sport.

“Through today's event, we wanted to bring together as many young people as possible. And that is exactly what we did through sport, because sport is one of the easiest ways to promote positive and healthy values,” said Ajla Kadrović from Svetionik.

Photo credit: Seid Vejselović, in the photo Ajla Kadrović (NGO Svetionik) and Zorana Parezanović (NGO Atina)

For the organisers, sport was important not only because of the activities themselves, but also because of its ability to bring together people who might not otherwise participate in the same activities.

Zorana Parezanović from NGO Atina explained that they wanted to demonstrate that sport is about much more than competition and results.

“Through this event, we wanted to send a message that sport is for everyone and should be accessible to everyone. When we move beyond the competitive aspect of sport, its true beauty really comes to the forefront,” Parezanović said.

According to her, sport can also help address important social issues.

“It is a very powerful tool that can be used today to address many important social challenges, such as discrimination, intolerance and violence,” Parezanović added.

Photo credit: Seid Vejselović, in the photo Zorana Parezanović (NGO Atina), Mirza Aličković and Ajla Kadrović (NGO Svetionik) 

The event was not intended exclusively for young people already involved in sport. Activities were open to people of all ages, from the youngest to the oldest, including professional athletes and those who had never had the opportunity to participate in sporting activities.

Before the event, educational workshops for young people and a sports tournament had been organised as part of the project. Building on these activities, the organisers wanted to extend the programme to the wider community of Novi Pazar.

“We decided to reach out to all residents of Novi Pazar and make our activities available to everyone - the youngest and the oldest, those who practise sport professionally and those who have never had the opportunity to try it,” Parezanović explained.

Alongside the sports activities and games, the event also featured a charity book sale, with all proceeds going to humanitarian causes.

Through this initiative, the organisers sought to make sport accessible to as many people as possible, while demonstrating its potential to create opportunities for social interaction, inclusion and the promotion of values that matter to everyone.

The event was organised as part of the project “Strong alone, unstoppable together - sport for social justice,” implemented by NGO Atina with the support of the Swedish Postcode Lottery Foundation.

The original article is available on the Zoomer website:

https://zoomer.rs/novi-pazar-kroz-strong-alone-unstoppable-together-obelezio-dan-humanosti/