ZAGREB, 9 Feb 2022 - Organisers of the Terry Fox Run in Croatia have donated HRK 50,000 raised in this year's anti-cancer week to Dr. Mladen Ćepulić, Department of Oncology and Haematology at the Children's Hospital Zagreb.

The Terry Fox Run has been organised in Croatia since 2000 and has raised almost HRK 7 million in that time for cancer research. Due to the pandemic, this year's event was organised online.

The director of the Children's Hospital, Goran Roić, said on Wednesday that the recovery rate in children is more than 80%, however treatment is often complicated. This year's donation will be used to improve rehabilitation and early intervention in children who experience complications after oncology therapy.

Canadian Ambassador to Croatia Alan Bowman expressed his satisfaction that so many people in Croatia participated in the Terry Fox Runt this year as well and raised money for cancer research.

Terry Fox is a Canadian national hero who started a marathon that today takes place in over 60 countries, with millions of people running in honour of his passion for running and his desire to beat cancer. Fox lost a leg to cancer and in 1980, in order to raise money for treatment, he embarked on a run across Canada which he called the Marathon of Hope. He ran 143 days, covering 42 km a day, but failed to finish the run because his cancer returned, claiming his life at age 22.

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July 10, 2020 - Marko Kašić a Croat From Knin, trapped in the Philippines for four months by a COVID-19 travel ban, puts his time to good use. 

Nothing to do, nowhere to go, nobody to see. Even with the world (online) at their fingertips, some people met the strictest period of Coronavirus lockdown with negativity that bordered on despair. But, the response depended on your attitude.

Of course, some people had it worse than others. Now stranded in the Philippines for four months because of the country's COVID-19 travel ban, you couldn't say Marko Kašić had it easier than anyone. Over 10, 000 kilometres from home and family, he might have had more of a reason to despair than most. But, that never happened. Instead, Marko spent his time raising over €50, 000 to help the country's poorest.

Marko Kašić, a Croat from Knin at work in the Philippines © Fundlife

Having first visited the Philippines almost a decade ago, Marko is more than familiar with the country. In 2014 he set up the Fundlife NGO there to promote sports – specifically football – to underprivileged children. He even has a girlfriend there. It was while visiting her in Manila for Valentine's Day in February that he got trapped.

After the romantic day was finished, Marko decided to take a short internal plane ride over to Cebu, on one of the archipelago's other islands, to check up on his sports projects. Then Coronavirus hit. The country went into lockdown with a strict travel ban. He could neither travel back to Europe nor to his girlfriend in Manila.

Even in a country infamous for the huge disparity between its rich and poor, Cebu, where Marko is trapped, is one of the most impoverished areas. Over 40% (800,000 people) of its residents are informal workers, with 'no work, no pay' contracts and no social services to rely on for help. When there is work, such people work for an average of €3 per day. But, because of Coronavirus, all of the work stopped.

“Even before COVID, they were just able to survive by having this small daily income,” Marko told TCN. “When the lockdown started, it was clear they would struggle to have enough food.”

Marko realised he had to do something for these people, simply because nobody else was. The bloody Drug War instigated by the country's President Duterte has been the biggest international news story about the Philippines since 2016. Fundraising, charity and NGO work for the country's poorest has suffered as a direct result. But, Marko hit up all of the contacts he'd made for help. He has raised over €50, 000 to help feed the country's poorest, taken on many volunteers to help distribute food and changed his sporting NGO into the largest volunteer-led humanitarian response to COVID-19 in the Philippines.

Some of Marko's volunteers at work for Fundlife's COVID-19 response © Fundlife

Perhaps it is the years Marko spent living in the UK that prompted his positive response to the situation he found himself in? But, in his compassion, his Croatian heart is clearly visible. Born in Knin, Marko's NGO has already helped over 60,000 children in the Philippines and even took some to the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia as part of the FIFA Foundation Festival. European football organisations are among the financial supporters of the NGO.

Asked about his plans for the immediate future - whether he will fly back to Manila, to his girlfriend, or back home to Europe - Marko has no answer. The country is still on lockdown. He still cannot travel. And, besides, there's still so much work there to do.

"I might not even have a girlfriend anymore,” Marko told TCN, perhaps only half-joking. “I told her I'd be back in a week, but it's been four months. I hope she understands."

To learn more about the work FundLife is doing in the Philippines or to support their relief efforts, you can visit www.globalgiving.org/projects/covid-19-relief-response/ or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

October the 25th, 2019 - A sustainable way of living and working has always been important to me. I’ve always tried my best to align my work in tourism in a positive way. So it has been my pleasure to work alongside Green World Holidays who share the same belief; that every one of us has a responsibility to look out for our environment and for our fellow neighbours.

With this philosophy in mind, Green World Holidays wanted to develop a direct link between their families visiting Croatia with a local charity in Trilj, Dalmatia. The chosen charity is “UOSIT”, which is a charity for children with special needs.

The charity was founded back in 2006 in the town of Trilj and their goal is to help people with special needs to function in everyday life. This small charity has just over 100 members, mostly which are children born with special needs. This amazing local charity also offers an important place of support for parents of the children to share their experiences.

To give our guests a deeper sense of Croatian culture and a way to raise donations for the ''UOSIT'' children, we created a weekly charity quiz that ran throughout July and August. At the end of the season, the directors of Green World Holidays match whatever has been given by their guests.

It was a great success and something we will continue to do each season. What makes us especially happy is the fact that everyone participated in this, both parents, teenagers and kids and they learned more about Croatia and were able to help a really worthwhile cause.

It’s important to remind ourselves that travel is much more than visiting an area. We should feel the local culture, meet new people and help others along the way. Our history, our geography, our sport, our people, our Croatian trivia is something to be very proud of – so why not create your own ''quiz'’ and raise money for a local charity.

After this year and the good will generated, I'm looking forward to next year and making more people happy. A smile is a ''thank you'' that we all need.

Want to find out more about UOSIT? Read on...

The charity was founded in 2006 in the small town of Trilj, located about one hour from Split. The charity's goal is to help people with special needs to function in everyday life. This small charity has just over 100 members, most of which are children who were born with special needs. This amazing local charity also offers an important place of support for parents of the children to share their experiences.

Contact details:

Town: Trilj
Contact: 021 831 587
Address: Kralja Tomislava 1, 21240 Trilj, Croatia

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