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The day Marieta's daughter turned 10 was a bittersweet reminder of her own tenth birthday. That day, more than 20 years ago, was a painful personal milestone. It was the year her parents removed her from school.

Miki is nearly ready to start school— and like most kids, he’s both excited and nervous. He’s also crazy about computers. But until recently, he didn’t get much chance to use one. Because this 9-year-old Macedonian boy has Cerebral Palsy, he needs special equipment and assistance.

Dragi Stojmirovski has never seen so many watermelons—it’s a bumper year in the Balkans. The glut has caused the price of melons to skydive, and farmers are leaving the fruit to rot in their fields.  But Stojmirovski, with the help of USAID, has turned a crisis into a triumph. He’s managed to bring Macedonian watermelon to the UK market.

A team of travelling teachers is visiting Valbone Mandzukai’s family, to teach her 7-year-old son how to read and write. But he is not the only one learning – Valbone, who was illiterate when she fled Kosovo six years ago, is also taking lessons.