Humanitarian

Project Name:Aid to the needy

Project Duration: 
Throughout 2008

Approximate Man-Hours Spent on this Project: 
1070

We delivered various items of humanitarian aid (food, shoes, clothes) to refugee families we have known for years in the area of Karlovac (namely, Vojnic, Krnjak and Karlovac), and in the area of Rijeka (Hreljin, Cavle). At the same time of visiting these needy families, we spent time counseling and comforting them, singing with them and cheering them up.

The main thrusts of this project were: on the first day of the year, along with an animation at the soup kitchen in Rijeka we delivered boxes of aid for the beneficiaries of the kitchen; in November 2007 and April 2008 we painted and made improvements in the house of a poor single mom with two children in Hreljin; in May, where we traveled to Vojnic and the surroundings in cooperation with volunteers from C.R.I.E.D., Canada; and during the summer months – in cooperation with young volunteers who came for two summer camps.

We have been visiting Karlovac and its surroundings (a needy refugee area affected by the war in former Yugoslavia), since 1998. There are many needy families in the area, and we have “adopted” some of them for regular visitation, help and encouragement. During this year we continued to visit and offer comfort and counseling, as well as humanitarian aid whenever possible to those families. On a few occasions throughout the year we brought vanloads of aid from Italy (from concerned individuals who wish to help the poor in a neighboring country).

This year in April we also took a trip to Bosnia, to reconnect with 40 families who some of our volunteers had helped during for two year duration of the ex-Yugoslavian civil war. This was a memorable trip, which left us feeling inspired and rewarded, knowing that the people we helped had not forgotten about us, even if our memory fell short. When word went around that our volunteers were back in Mostar, many invitations to dinner started coming… there weren’t nearly enough evenings to fulfill them all. “Knowing that my family had food to eat while I was fighting on the front lines meant a lot,” one father said. Drugs and unemployment have destroyed many lives in Bosnia, though we still hold to the principle that while there’s life there’s hope! It’s time for us to plan more regular visits!

Project Name: “Coloring the world!”

Project Duration: throughout 2008

Approximate Man-Hours Spent on this Project: 828

During this last year, together with part-time volunteers from Croatia and Italy, we worked and completed wall murals in the following places:

• • the prison in Rijeka (in January)
  • the Home for mentally impaired senior citizens, Dom Turnic in Rijeka (in February)
  • the children’s hospital “Kantrida”, Rijeka (in March)
  • Dom za odgoj – delinquent center for minors in Rijeka (we worked on this project two times – in April and again in July)
  • Youth clubs in Cloz (TN, Italy) and Trento, Oratorio S. Antonio (in May and June respectively)
  • A central playground in the town of Pozega, north of Croatia (in September)

The murals transformed the living and working space of these institutions, and made it much more lively and cheerful. Not only is this project effective because of the end result of the work, but many part-time volunteers are eager to get involved in the painting, and thus they experience the thrill of working for a greater purpose than their own pursuit of pleasure. As a result, many lives of those younger and older have been changed forever!
Our project was featured in local newspaper “Novi list”, December 6th 2007, reaching an estimated audience of 80 000.

COLOR MAGIC
Years ago we started a project of painting murals of all kinds. Many tell us that one day as they were traveling along, all of a sudden our mural of peace appeared on the side of the road, with the inscription “What everybody needs is love”.

Yesterday, while passing by Mostar, we looked out the window to admire the first mural ever painted (in 1996): even if a bit faded, it’s still alive and real, to proclaim this fundamental but often forgotten principle of love.

To this day we keep on coloring the gray world around; only in the last 4 months we completed 4 murals in 4 different institutions: in the children’s hospital “Kantrida”, the prison of Rijeka, The Home for senior citizens Dom Turnic and Dom za odgoj (delinquent center for minors in Rijeka). It almost seems like a miracle that every time the simple gray walls are transformed into a feast of color, transmitting optimism, love and joy, and changing the atmosphere entirely. And one more positive factor: in these projects we involve young people and local volunteers, giving them an opportunity to discover a new world of volunteering and to participate in this unforgettable team effort.
See you soon – maybe one in your town will be next!

Project Name:
Building a bridge

Project Duration: 
Throughout 2008, mainly in June and September

Approximate Man-Hours Spent on this Project: 
150

Our friends from Senior Citizens’ Home in Rovereto came to attend the main event in Dom Turnic (similar institution in Rijeka) – contest of song organized by the Dom for beneficiaries of such Homes from all over Croatia. This was a solidarity meeting, whereby directors, social workers and animators from two different worlds (rich Northern Italy and post-war, post-communist Croatia) were able to unite, establish new friendships, help one another, and make plans for future meetings.
We also brought items of humanitarian aid from Italy at least 8 times, to distribute to needy families in Croatia, making known the needs of our “adopted” families to those who often have a lot materially, but need a “cause” to support in order to be complete.

For over 10 years we have been the mediators of a friendship between Udruga “Koraci” in Rijeka (an association geared to organizing creative workshops for children and older adults) and the Home for senior citizens in Rovereto, Italy. After we introduced the two institutions one to another in 1996, a friendship ensued, of exchanging correspondence, gifts and occasional visits, all through us, their common friends, who often travel to Italy and speak both languages. This year the friendship was expanded by adding on a senior citizens’ Home in Rijeka we cooperate with, Dom Turnic. Dom Turnic had its “happening of the year” on June 6th – a contest of song, among similar institutions from all over Croatia, which the Dom in Rijeka was chosen to host. Our friends from Rovereto took the time to travel to the event, attend and build new friendships, and have already invited the social workers and the director of Dom Turnic, together with members of Udruga “Koraci” and Udruga za bolji svijet in Rijeka, for a two-day solidarity meeting in their home town in October.

The “bridge”, though, does not stop there – we keep building it continually, as we bring the needs of our poorer friends in Croatia before concerned individuals in Italy, who are happy to extend a helping hand and find more satisfaction than only a life lived for themselves could afford. Many times this year we have taken trips to Italy, collected items of humanitarian aid, and have brought them to our “adopted” families in Croatia. This “bridge” has a two-fold positive effect: those who do not have enough are helped, and the richer ones find fulfillment in life by helping those less fortunate.

Project Name: “Life as a house”

Project Duration: September 2007 to June 2008

Approximate Man-Hours Spent on this Project: 1440

A few of our volunteers rebuilt the burned wooden cottage of our neighbor, which was devastated in a fire at the end of 2006, thus helping our neighbor get back on his feet emotionally, and returning his faith in life and people.

In November 2006 the wooden cottage of our neighbor burned out, as a result of a fire started by strange circumstances. It is believed that the fire was lit by one of our visitors (former heroin addict) trying to commit suicide, whom we were doing our best to help by accepting him into our community for a time. Though our visitor was absolved of all charges by the police, we felt it our duty to rebuild the neighbor’s cottage. This was no easy task; it took many hours of cleaning burned wood, cutting, sorting, supplying material and building, and it proved to be a worthy cause. The 61-year-old owner of the cottage was left in complete despair over the ruins of the cottage, after having had many other disappointments in life. He went through depression and even spent a few months in jail over this incident. The burning of the cottage was the last straw that broke the camel’s back; he had no faith left in life or people, nor any hope for his future. “You gave me back my hope for life, and my faith in people,” said he, upon seeing our willingness to help, and the end result – a beautiful new cottage.

Smile Therapy

Project Name: Clown therapy and entertainment with a meaning!

Project Duration: throughout 2008

Approximate Man-Hours Spent on this Project: 316

Every week in October 2007 and from February till July 2008 we held “clown therapy” shows & animations in various institutions – Dom Turnic, Children’s hospital “Kantrida”, Dom Sv. Ana, Klub “Srce”, and Centar za odgoj I obrazovanje “Baredice” – Zamet. This project also helps us motivate young people who would like to experience volunteering, to come with us and taste what it feels like to make someone else happy. (Pls see our Projects 2007 for a more detailed explanation).

We also performed meaningful and entertaining programs for the beneficiaries of the soup kitchen in Rijeka, for the inmates of 3 prisons, in 2 psychiatric hospitals, 5 senior citizens’ homes and 1 handicapped center. Those were actual performances, by a show troupe, and do not include regular clown therapy and animation. Our clowns also performed at the opening of the handicapped beach in Rijeka, where an official program takes place every year in the month of June. There were over 1000 attendees of our programs.

Our project was featured in local newspaper “Novi list”, December 6th 2007, reaching an estimated audience of 80 000.

Throughout the year we perform for various occasions, and without any particular occasion, upon request of a particular institution. Since we’re well-known in the area, directors and animators of institutions often call us to request our presence. All of our shows, adapted to the occasion, have a meaning, and give the message of helping others in need instead of concentrating on one’s only misfortunes in life. We don’t just “put up a show” and leave, but remain with the attendees (whether they be patients, students or old people) for a good while after the show, in order to meet them personally and spend time talking, comforting and encouraging them. After that we often stay in contact with the institution or individuals and try to find ways to help them further. Here is an article about our cooperation with one such institution, with which we have been in contact for many years now:

“Our patients love your visits, and make progress every time you come!” tell us the social workers and nurses of the psychiatric hospital in Rab, one of the largest of institutions of this kind in Croatia. We established contact in 1999, through a referral from our dear friends in Dom Turnic – a similar institution in Rijeka, and since then have been visiting at every opportunity, with every new show, or every trip we take to the island. It’s a long history of happenings; one year, after a simple childish show, but full of smiles, a depressed patient smiled for the first time in 2 years, and a few days later was out of the hospital, completely cured! “He came back to the hospital 100 times, to thank me for organizing the show!” said Dragica Cerovski, the only social assistant of the hospital at the time. On another occasion, a lady who hadn’t been communicating with anyone for a few years, came out of her room and with a smiley face began interacting with one of our volunteers! Yet on another occasion, we organized music and acting workshops with 15 patients, and at the end of our 3 day stay they dressed up (something they hadn’t done in months or years), and performed a show for doctors, nurses, therapists, orderlies and other patients of the hospital, 150 in all. In July this year we also performed one of our funny clown shows, with a lot of interaction from the audience, and have planned our next project for early autumn: murals on the walls!

A little love and care does go a long long way… and believe us, the greatest reward and happiness is seeing that what little we can do, the love and care that we can give, can bring color into many a hum-drum life, can change them for the better, and even rescue some from darkness, death or self-destruction.

 

 

Project Name: Summer camps & visits of young volunteers

Project Duration: June, July, August and the first week of September 2008

Approximate Man-Hours Spent on this Project: 2780

We held 2 volunteer training camps for 16 attendees during the summer months, and received young willing volunteers as visitors all summer long – over 100 in total. Each of the camps lasted one week, and the individual visits ranged from 1 or 2 day visits, to 2 and 3 week-long ones. This was a time of training for all who came (those who visited in time for a camp or not). We dressed as clowns to visit institutions, helped refugees with physical work, painted the walls in Dom za odgoj (a center for delinquent youngsters in Rijeka), and had many meaningful discussions and lives changed as a result.

We also organized two 3-day mural camps for all together 60 young people in Italy, Trentino region. During those camps we painted wall murals of peace in their youth clubs, and organized meetings and counseling for them.

Every summer during the last 7 years the doors of our center have been open to anyone who wants to learn more about volunteer work or living in a Christian community. We’ve had visits from many young and older people, about 100 or more throughout each summer. They come to have an “alternative vacation” – willing to combine their yearly holiday with donating their energies to a worthy cause.

Here are a few of the reactions of those who came this summer, to the time spent in our community and helping others:

Federica (16): “I don’t have words to describe this experience! It has given me so much! Thank you, all of you, you’re all wonderful people and I miss you a lot. You taught me to enjoy the little things that at first glance seem trivial, but are in fact the most beautiful and true. From all the activities we did I learned how important it is to help others, to give even just a smile. Thank you!

Elena and Chiara (20): “This is already the 8th summer in a row that we come, and every time, at departure, the tears just keep flowing! We hope to be able to come back soon.”