If we believe in ourselves, we believe in children of water

“We are connected by rivers, there are no borders. There are only good people sharing the same thought. Small rivers join and form large and powerful ones, just like many small actions make a big impact. If we believe in ourselves, we believe in children of water. ”

These are the final words from the documentary “Children of Water” created by Natasa Milivojevic and Marko Prodanovic. The documentary premiered at the Danube Days event in Bački Monoštor. This event is held annually in 14 European countries that are signatories to the convention on cooperation in the protection and sustainable use of rivers.

With the support of WWF Adria and the Free Rivers Fund, enthusiasts from the environmental association “Rzav” and the club of extreme sports “Pustolov” embarked on an adventure in the rivers of the Balkans at the end of August last year. The goal of

the trip was primarily to encourage environmental awareness about the need to preserve rivers and nature for future generations. Since they are always ready for action, these rafters did not need much time to organise, pack their things and set off on a multi-week trip along the Balkan rivers.

The group started from the largest river, the “King of Europe”, the Danube River and continued towards Gostović, Piva, Vrbas, Drina, Ibar, Krivaja, Lima, Pliva, Sana to end their journey on the beauties of Una and Tara. On the riverbanks, they met people who welcomed them warmly, knowing that they were united by the same thought: to save the rivers.

A key message of the adventure was to leave invaluable experiences and memories to the main protagonists of the film, Uroš and Dunja. But also to all the other children, at least a part of the invaluable wealth of nature that gives us life through the rivers. To save what we have left because about 750 km of wild rivers in the Balkans have disappeared already. They have been tamed by dams or enclosed in pipes. In the end, the film justifiably asks the question: how many more rivers can we still lose? The answer is none if we want to look our children in the eye without shame.

The mission to change the world means to change the way we think. If each of us would take one small step like the rafters in this movie did I am sure that it would make a huge impact on our and the future of our children.

Enjoy watching the movie.

Thanks to Jasmina Marčok for the introduction to Deca iz vode (Children of water).

#decaizvode #childrenofwater #sustainability #freerivers #climateaction #ecorafting #thisisrafting

Find out more about the IRF’s commitment to sustainability and our practical guides to sustainable rafting.