The SOLIDARNA Foundation started the spring with the humanitarian campaign More books, less worries, which collects financial resources for scholarships for children with lower financial status through the Desa & Jerko Baković Fund. The goal of the humanitarian campaign is to collect 45,000 euros, which is necessary to cover scholarships and additional needs for 29 children from the Solidarity class for one school year.
On the plateau in front of the Ribnjak Youth Center, a humanitarian action started with a musical picnic: YOUTH FOR THE FUTURE in collaboration with SO DO–the children and youth orchestra system. Scholarship holders of the Desa & Jerko Baković Fund and visitors gathered and spent Saturday afternoon with music and creativity. We prepared an interesting program and the children could enjoy the STEM corner with experiments, the creative corner full of colors and beads, face paint that beautified many faces, and the book corner, where picture books were changed and the love for books spread.
Armando Luque Akrap from the SO DO orchestra expressed great satisfaction that their orchestra joined this humanitarian initiative. He emphasized that young people are always in the first place for them whether they are orchestra members or the audience enjoying their concerts: “Our goal is to use music to bring young people together and guide them towards their full personal potential. The energy we have at rehearsals and concerts is motivating and fulfilling. We want to transfer that energy to the visitors as well,” points out Armando.
Karla Pudar, head of the philanthropy development program of the SOLIDARNA Foundation, pointed out that the mission of the Desa & Jerko Baković Foundation is to provide every child with equal opportunities for quality education, regardless of their financial status.
“Through this Fund, we are building a foundation for their better future and we believe that these young people will one day be the initiators of positive societal changes. We would like to thank everyone who joined the musical picnic of Youth for the Future in collaboration with the SO DO orchestra today. This event was an opportunity to connect, celebrate creativity, and show how much togetherness can contribute to building a better society. We invite all people of goodwill to join our action and invest together with us in the future of these young people,” said Pudar.
More about the Fund
The Desa & Jerko Baković Fund was created in 2018 based on a donation of 600,000 HRK from Desa Baković, who was then a hundred years old, to start a program of multi-year support for the education of children who grow up in families with poor financial circumstances.
Since its foundation, the fund has been spreading the story of the noble act of Mrs. Desa and her late husband. She must never fall into oblivion. Today, we hope to use it to encourage our fellow citizens to join the Fund as donors. We want to continue providing support to children and to the entire “new class” of 29 students. Scholarship holders of the Fund come from 20 different areas, and according to Ms. Desa’s wishes, most of them are from villages and municipalities in Kordun, Banija, and the outskirts of Like and Gorskog Kotara.
The Fund provides scholarships to the Solidarity class of 29 male and female students aged between 10 and 17 who attend primary and secondary schools from all over Croatia, and it follows them until graduation. The fund provides them with financial resources for education and provides support in realizing their dreams, desires, and full potential because their families would not be able to do it alone.
The support of the Desa & Jerko Baković Fund is multi-year, adapted to each child and his needs. The monthly stipends of 130 euros respect the various needs of the children–from the purchase of textbooks and accessories, the costs of the student dormitory, extracurricular activities, trips to the costs of medical aids, and psychological support.
Anyone interested can support the work of the Fund by donating to the dedicated account of the humanitarian action:
IBAN: HR6224020061500142712
Purpose: DONATION – More books, less worries
Model: 00
Bank: Erste banka
Or by scanning a barcode, KEKS Pay or PayPal
Read more information about the work of the Fund here.
Join us with your ideas in creating new opportunities for a solidary society. Together we can show that #Solidarity is our #NewNormal
