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Results for children - 2020

What we achieved for children with the help of our donors

Available in:
Hrvatski
English

Although 2020 was a year full of challenges, with the help of our donors we continued to make the world a better place for children. We wholeheartedly thank everyone who contributed to our efforts!

We made significant investments to support the most vulnerable families, the health system, and the stability of the education system, and we strived to ensure that experts providing children’s care, as well as young people and general citizens, receive accurate and quality information.

Some of our highlight achievements are listed below, while the detailed Report on 2020 Activities can be accessed here (Croatian only).

Together for the youngest children

Thanks to donated breast milk, 182 prematurely born girls and boys were given the opportunity for a better start in life, while the risk of complications associated with premature birth was significantly lowered.
The Human Milk Bank was provided with a special vehicle for the distribution and collection of milk, worth HRK 207,000.
Sixteen maternity wards throughout the country received new equipment (newborn resuscitation units, birthing chairs, reclining chairs for skin-to-skin contact, etc.), valued at HRK 300,000.

Support for children with disabilities

24 institutions involved in the “Communication for Every Child” programme were provided with assistive technology, IT equipment and a hundred tablet computers, with total value close to HRK 600,000.
310 experts from 106 organisations, including health care and social welfare institutions, kindergartens and civil society organisations and 19 private institutions from Croatia, received training on using assisted communication.
To support the availability of early intervention services for children with disabilities and their families during the pandemic, a comprehensive virtual training on early intervention was launched, which has been attended by 502 experts. The total value of the investment is HRK 260,000.

Pandemic and earthquakes crisis response

Medical and protection equipment, as well as hygiene supplies, were provided. Total value is HRK 3,687,000.
A hundred tablet computers worth HRK 120,000 were provided to children from socially disadvantaged families to enable them to take part in distance learning. 500 SIM cards with 22GB of internet traffic were provided for children without internet access from 52 schools throughout Croatia.
We launched the e-platform “Learn about parenting”. The e-platform provides free courses, which guide future parents through birth, the postpartum period and breastfeeding. The courses were attended by more than 5,000 parents, who, due to the pandemic, were unable to attend in-person classes.
We enabled the creation of video lessons focused on recognizing fake news and disinformation, and on online safety, which were used in distance learning. Educational materials for working with young students were downloaded more than 200,000 times from the portal medijskapismenost.hr.

Solidarity with children across the world

As many as 55,222 children and youth from 202 towns and villages throughout Croatia participated in our “School for Africa” programme, implemented with a strong volunteer engagement of 3,298 coordinators. Peer-support and citizens’ donations ensured HRK 303,906 for the education of girls and boys in Madagascar.
Yemen is a country where nearly all children need humanitarian aid to survive and fulfil their rights. Thanks to the kind heart of our fellow-citizens, this year we will help the children of Yemen with HRK 77,364.

Family support

We continued to invest in the training of new facilitators of the parenting support programme "Growing up Together". The workshops, delivered in many kindergartens and family centres, can be attended free of charge, and thousands of parents found them useful. A total of HRK 471,789 was invested in the programme.
As a result of our investments in the skills and knowledge of experts working with foster parents, the quality of care improved for more than 2,235 girls and boys growing up in foster families. A total of HRK 246,312 was invested into improving the quality of foster care.

Justice system which meets the needs of children and youth

All 96 state attorneys for juveniles and 20 non-legal professionals working with children and youth in conflict with the law attended UNICEF’s training for the first time, with a view to enhancing their understanding of children and youth and their needs.
The “Unbroken Ties” programme was closed, after seven criminal authorities were equipped with visiting areas for children of prisoners, and nine prison authorities were equipped with video-conferencing areas, which were used on 1,765 occasions in 2020.

The voices of children and youth

As part of the “ZABUM Programme for the future of youth“ 414 young people attended a skills development training programme aimed at fostering entrepreneurial and team spirit and innovation through problem-solving in local communities. Ten best teams were awarded HRK 15,000 to implement their ideas with mentors' support.
The first online hackathon for social change was organized. Young people and computer experts worked together to develop technical solutions for local community problems. Best teams were awarded prizes and continue working on their ideas with mentorship support. Once developed, the solutions will made available to all citizens for free use.
Digital platform Pukotine/PKTN was launched to support young people in growing up, and to, assisted by experts, discuss topics important to youth, such as loneliness, break-up, fear, loss and others. We invested HRK 275,000 in supporting youth mental health.

We thank all the donors for their trust and support, which allow us to jointly change the lives of children in Croatia and the world for the better!