Summer season is usually a very busy time of the year for us, as many volunteers and visitors pass by our place. This year this period started at the end of May and was marked by a visit of five families with children that wanted to spend four days with us to experience volunteering first-hand. At home they organised a collection of funds for the needy families that we would go to visit together. The children brought so much cheer especially to the lonely grandmas and they came back from these visits overflowing with impressions and stories to share. 

During the summer holidays, we held four “official” volunteer camps, as well as spent time with countless volunteers and friends who came to help us with our projects. 

This year there was a special flavour given to the international volunteer camp, because half of the attendees were either Ukrainian or very closely tied with Ukraine. We had many very beautiful and heartfelt moments as people shared how much this week means for them, being away from the reality of what is happening back at home, and just being able to lose themselves in helping others, create new friendships and gain new experiences in spite of the consequences the war brought into their lives. 

Altogether we painted large murals in six separate locations, visited four homes for the disadvantaged in order to cheer up their residents through our clown/smile therapy programs, and took eight trips inland as well as countless trips around the Rijeka area to visit needy families and bring them some food and encouragement.

You can look at the photos below to get a glimpse of the summer in our “neck of the woods”…