From kitchen tablecloth to clown costume - Matea’s success story

During my childhood years, we had a white kitchen tablecloth with lots of ladybugs on it. At the age of 14, I had a role in one children's play, and I needed a clown costume, so my mother took that kitchen tablecloth and made the costume. It was far from perfect, but it was all I needed to get going.       

Today I am running a small business in Mostar named "Lola Klaunovi", and I am working as an entertainer at kid’s birthday parties and events. The offer includes more than 20 different costume ∕ mascots of kid’s favorite cartoons, and there is also face painting, modeling balloons, soap bubbles, etc.

My story is one example where you don’t have to have everything arranged or perfect to get started, but with a vision, hard work, and love in the things you do, everything else comes naturally.

I was lucky enough to start volunteering very early. The more I gave of myself the more I had the opportunity to learn and grow. Even today I can say that I did not learn how to work with children but the children taught me.

Even though I was working with kids in the local orphanage and other organizations for years, I created my first FB page "Lola Klaunovi" (https://www.facebook.com/lolaklaunovi ) with my friend, just when I finished my first year of university. Although my family encouraged me to make it, for a long period, I did not dare to do so. The key trigger was an organized trip to Strasbourg for the World Forum for Democracy. The payment was in installments and I had enough time to gather for the journey.

PS Yes, I went on that trip :)

As demand grew I soon needed reinforcements. Today I have a team of young people working together with me and I am happy to call them my friends. Through work, I have met a lot of wonderful people and I am richer for a lot of smiles. They say happiness is the only thing that multiplies when shared and I responsibly claim it to be true.

Matea Jevrić

Ex Bosana Scholarship recipient