VOLI and UNICEF support parents across Montenegro

Podgorica, 8 July 2026 – “Children don’t need perfect parents. They need parents who grow alongside them.”

This is the message of a new campaign launched by UNICEF and VOLI across Montenegro to remind parents and caregivers that children learn empathy, respect, responsibility, self-confidence and non-violent conflict resolution both at school and at home.

The campaign brings together two programmes.

The first is My Values and Virtues, a social-emotional learning programme currently reaching more than 46,000 students in 143 primary and secondary schools across Montenegro. With VOLI's support, the programme is expanding to 15 additional primary schools.

The second is Caring Families, a parenting programme that provides parents with practical support for everyday parenting challenges – from listening to children and setting clear boundaries, to supporting them when they make mistakes, experience failure or face difficulties. It has so far supported more than 2,250 parents in 18 municipalities.  With VOLI’s support, the Caring Families programme will also expand support for parents of adolescents, aiming to reach more than 300 families in at least 10 municipalities across Montenegro.

“There is no such thing as a perfect parent, nor a perfect child. What children need most is to have adults around them who listen, reflect, engage, learn and grow together with them. Parents should not be left alone in this process – supporting parents is one of the best ways to support children”, said Michele Servadei, UNICEF Representative to Montenegro.

Parents who have completed the Caring Families programme say it helped them learn and grow alongside their children.

"We all want what is best for our children, but sometimes parents need support too. This programme has made parenting much easier," said a mother who participated in the programme.

For many, the biggest change started with themselves.

"I realized I needed to change myself first. When I changed the way I communicated with my children, our relationship changed too," said a father who participated in the programme.

The joint VOLI and UNICEF campaign will be visible in VOLI supermarkets across the country, encouraging parents and caregivers to enroll to the parenting sessions and to recognize that the skills children need to build healthy relationships, manage emotions and resolve conflicts without violence begin to develop from an early age - at home and at school, always with the support of parents.

“Empathy, respect, responsibility and self-confidence are developed both at home and at school. That is why, together with UNICEF, we invest in quality support for parents and families across Montenegro, because it is through everyday family relationships that children learn how to listen to others, manage emotions and resolve conflicts without violence,” said Olivera Lakonić, Marketing Director of VOLI company.

Parenting brings new questions and challenges at every stage of a child's development. Support for parents is therefore not a sign that they are doing something wrong, but an opportunity to learn and grow together with their children.

The campaign will also feature UNICEF Montenegro Young Reporters, who share their personal perspectives on what they need most from their parents.

“I’m not always looking for advice. Sometimes I just need my parents to listen to me all the way through,” said UNICEF Montenegro Young Reporter Viktorija Milić.

“It’s easier for me to tell the truth when I know we can talk without shouting and that it’s OK to have different opinions,” said UNICEF Montenegro Young Reporter Luka Vujović.

The way adults talk and listen to children shapes the way children communicate with others. It is through everyday family interactions that children develop empathy, respect, responsibility, and the ability to resolve disagreements through constructive dialogue.

When children grow up with trust, support and clear boundaries, they are more likely to develop self-control, resilience, cooperation skills and the ability to resolve conflicts peacefully.

In Montenegro, 66% of children have experienced physical or psychological violence by caregivers (MICS, 2018), while more than half of citizens (57%) believe that hitting a child is justified in certain situations or view it as an effective method of child-rearing (Ipsos, 2024). This is why UNICEF, together with the Government of Montenegro and VOLI, invests in programmes that strengthen children's social-emotional development and equip parents with practical parenting skills that contribute to violence prevention.