January 21, 2023 - Three Makarska volunteers, the people behind the initiative "Makarska Riviera and Friends - With Hearts for Petrinja" truly deserved the "Pride of Croatia" award. Their kindness of people gathered around the action helped restore the house of Božidar Boltužić's family of six in Jabukovec near Petrinja.

As HRT / Poslovni write, this is the first completely renovated home in the area affected by the earthquake.

"After the earthquake, the structural engineers came, followed by Mijo Pašalić, Škaro and Jovica Šegan who told us that they would help us rebuild the house," says Božidar Boltužić, Jabukovac.

Four months after they made that promise, the old house was demolished, and the work on the new one lasted until the beginning of September. The fully equipped two-story house was ready to move into. All good things happen spontaneously, and so did this story, according to the friends who started the initiative and, despite numerous obstacles, finished the job brilliantly. And it all started - the day after New Year's Eve. Over a coffee.

"At one point, it dawned on me - look how nice we have it here, we're having fun, and just two days ago, unfortunately, a huge tragedy happened in Petrinja", said Josko Šarić Škaro, Makarska.

On the second day of New Year 2021, Josko and Jovica headed to Petrinja. There was no time to waste, they knew, and they wanted to help at least one unfortunate family. The home of the Boltužić family was completely unusable, and the family had no alternative accommodation.

"We collected the documentation and when we had everything according to the construction law, we demolished the existing building. It is important to point out is that we wanted the facility to be in the existing dimensions that the family had before, not to make a smaller facility," says Jovica Šegan, Makarska.

The 230-square-meter house cost almost HRK 1,400,000. Seventy-five Makarska volunteers joined the initiative of these three successful entrepreneurs. "We are proud of how it started, how many people we gathered and how it all ended beautifully. After eight months of preparation and construction, we are incredibly proud", concluded Mijo Pašalić.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated Lifestyle section.

ZAGREB, 16 May 2022 - The "Croatia Volunteers 2022" campaign took place on 11-14 May as part of the European Year of Youth, focusing on the potential of young people in tackling the challenges of current natural and social crises, the Croatian Volunteer Development Centre (HCRV) said on Monday.

The campaign involved 200 organizers and several thousand volunteers in over 90 towns across the country who carried out over 300 activities benefiting the local community. Its aim was to promote the importance and benefits of volunteering for social development.

"This year we wanted to emphasize the potential and strength of the systematic involvement of young people in tackling the challenges of climate change, COVID-19, violence, wars, and the large influx of refugees," HCRV said.

Organizers believe that the unity and solidarity of young people speed up the process of recovery during and after crises, and hope that young people in rural areas will also join their campaign.

Volunteers carried out educational and creative workshops targeted at different societal groups, provided social services, carried out activities aimed at vulnerable groups, took care of animals, promoted environmental protection, and organized scout meetings.

The campaign was carried out in partnership with the Croatian Red Cross, the Croatian Youth Network, and the Croatian Scouts Association.

For more, check out our politics section.

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.

ZAGREB, December 11, 2018 - The European Solidarity Corps, a new European Union programme for the 2018-2020 period that enables young people up to the age of 30 to volunteer or work on projects that benefit people and communities around Europe, was officially launched in Zagreb on Tuesday.

The programme is offering volunteer and occupational activities that support non-governmental organisations, local authorities or private companies in addressing challenging situations across the European Union.

A total of 340 million euro has been set aside for this purpose which will enable 100,000 young volunteers to take part in the programme.

Programmes like this create opportunities for young people to volunteer or work in projects in their own country or abroad that benefit communities and people around Europe, said the chairman of the Croatian parliamentary committee on European Affairs, Domagoj Milošević.

European Solidarity Corps participants could be selected and invited to join a wide range of projects, such as helping to prevent natural disasters or rebuild afterwards, assisting in centres for asylum seekers, or addressing different social issues in communities.

Projects supported by the European Solidarity Corps can last from two to twelve months. They will usually be located within the European Union member states.

Approximately 400 young Croatians are volunteering abroad, while 2,000 foreign nationals are volunteering in Croatia.

More news on Croatia’s status within the EU can be found in our Politics section.

The drive was part of the “Green Day” initiative throughout Croatia.

Good will knows no boundaries.

“A day does not have a purpose unless I help somebody,” says Marija Fulgosi.

"Croatia Volunteers" will be held from May 22-27, 2017, in 55 Croatian cities.