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Footballers team up for UNICEF in Croatia

Zoran Mamic (left) and Michael Ballack (centre) present a cheque to Tanja Radocaj of UNICEF

Bayern München and T-Com Croatian Team play for UNICEF in Croatia

ZAGREB, 24 August 2005 – A friendly football match between Bayern Munich and T-Com Croatia has raised around $ 66,000 for UNICEF. The match, played in Zagreb last night, was the result of a corporate partnership between UNICEF and T-Croatian Telekom, the leading national telecommunications company (a member of Deutsche Telekom Group) and was organised by T-Com Croatia to raise funds for the UNICEF project: “Every Child Needs a Family”. T-Com has also encouraged many of its corporate clients to donate to the project, bringing the total sum raised by this event to 400,000 Croatian kunas (about $66.000).

During a half time ceremony, Michael Ballack, Bayern's world-famous midfielder, and Zoran Mamic of T-Com Croatia, presented a cheque to UNICEF Head of Office, Tanja Radocaj. T-Com also sponsored activities to promote the match including extensive advertising, PR campaigns and public sales events. More than 30 thousand visitors enjoyed the spectacle.

And the final score? T-Com: 0, Bayern: 2

“Every Child Needs a Family” campaign

UNICEF Office for Croatia has launched the “Every Child Needs a Family” campaign to improve the quality of foster care and help children who have been separated from their families grow up in a warm and protective family environment. More than 1,500 children in Croatia are living in institutions because their biological parents cannot care for them. The project promotes family-based care and provides ongoing professional support to foster families, in partnership with the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare. The project has been endorsed by the Vice Prime Minister of Croatia.

Campaign partners

In addition to T-Croatian Telekom and the Government, UNICEF has brought together other important partners to support this campaign: HRT – Croatian Television , the print media house Europapress Holding and the outdoor media provider Europlakat Proreklam. It has received extensive support from the Digitel komunikacije group, a leading marketing, communication and PR partner .

To date, the campaign has raised $400,000 from corporate and private donations through sponsorships, events and direct mailing. The funds will be used to establish centres of professional support for foster families throughout the country. In particular the project is aiming to develop new type of foster care specialised for children under three years of age, in order to prevent institutionalisation and consequent damage to young child's development.

For more information please contact:

Tanja Radocaj, Head of the Office, UNICEF Zagreb, (+385 1) 244 2660, tradocaj@unicef.org

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