When you smile, the world becomes a better place
Jitka Coufalová was born on 13 November 1950 in Olomouc as the youngest of five children. She grew up in nearby Litovel. She enrolled at the Secondary School of Clothing in Prostějov, majoring in men’s tailoring. In August 1968, she completed her apprenticeship and was staying at a boarding school in Prostějov when the troops of the occupying armies of the Warsaw Pact countries arrived in the town. On 25 August 1968, disoriented soldiers in Prostějov began firing on civilians. As a result, three lives were lost and many people wounded. Under dramatic circumstances, Jitka took the train home the next day, but had to return to the dormitory, damaged by the shelling, after a few days. After completing her apprenticeship, she worked as a seamstress for only a short time, after which she changed a number of jobs. In the summer of 1997, during a flood, the Coufal family home was flooded. The family lost all their furnishings.