ZAGREB, December 16, 2019 - Over 1,500 organisers have planned and coordinated volunteering activities in Croatia this year, with 62,000 volunteers putting in over 3.2 million hours of work. "They did that because they wanted to and not because they had to. By helping the beneficiaries of their volunteering work, they also enriched the entire society," the Minister for Demography, Family, Youth and Social Policy, Vesna Bedeković, said at the presentation of the annual national volunteering awards in Zagreb.
In monetary terms, volunteers contributed 107 million kuna through their work, the minister said, thanking them for their selfless contribution to society.
To further promote volunteering, the ministry has drafted a national volunteering programme for 2020-2024, which is in a final consensus stage, Bedeković said.
The awards were presented to Mirna Grgić from Osijek as the best volunteer, Natalija Kožić Lukačević from Suhopolje as the best coordinator of volunteering work and to "Smijesak za sve" (Smile for All), an association promoting the needs of children, youth and adults with special needs, as the best organiser of volunteering activities.
The Scout Association received the award for promoting innovative practice in volunteering, which was given for the first time.
More news about volunteers in Croatia can be found in the Lifestyle section.
