I have always wanted families from former Yugoslavia to benefit from what I learned in Germany – no matter where in the world they have ended up living, what language they speak or what religion they belong to.

Jelena Perić

As a paediatric nurse Jelena has been caring for premature and newborn babies and their parents at the Munich University Hospital for 12 years. During the last four of these years, she has been balancing two demanding roles: working at the hospital in Germany as an employee and running her own business. Through her venture Sunčev Zrak, Jelena offers breastfeeding counselling to parents from former Yugoslavia, providing advice online or visiting families directly at home based on their needs and location. Her company counsels about three to five families per day and conducts group seminars for up to 200 participants each month. Jelena has now decided to focus solely on her business and will return to Serbia to open a breastfeeding centre in Serbia's capital Belgrade.

What surprised me the most in Serbia is that the traditional understanding of roles within families is changing. More men are supporting their wives in the household and in childcare. The group seminar that I offer for fathers of newborns is always overbooked!

Jelena Perić