The donor campaign of the D&J Baković Fund has begun: Solidarity with a goal!

“ONE FOR ONE: Solidarity with a goal” is a new donor campaign of the SOLIDARNA Foundation running from June 3 to June 24. Thanks to the foundation’s generous donor, every euro donated is matched, up to 40,000.

The donation campaign is raising funds for scholarships for thirty students from disadvantaged financial situations. The scholarship will be available for the entire period of the students’ education, from primary school to high school graduation.

“In the next school year 2023-2024, through the fund, we want to provide scholarships to 30 students and support them in realizing their dreams, desires, and full potential, because their families would not be able to do it on their own,” said Ivan Blažević, manager of the SOLIDARNA Foundation, at the press conference where the campaign was presented.

Thanks to a generous donor, who wishes to remain anonymous, every amount donated will be matched, up to the €40,000 he intended for the fund. The faces of the campaign are two extremely talented scholarship holders: Severina Lajtman and Siniša Matijević. Singer Severina Vučković and graphic designer and cartoonist Siniša Mareković readily and wholeheartedly united with the two students: Severina for Severina, Siniša for Siniša, euro for euro. All of us for the youth who need our support.

The support of the Desa & Jerko Baković Fund is long-term, adapted to each student and his/her needs. Monthly scholarships assist with the various needs of the youth–including textbooks and other educational resources, student housing, extracurricular activities and trips, medical needs, and psychological support.

Candidates for the scholarships are suggested by schools, centers for social welfare, local associations, homes for children without adequate parental care, student dormitories, and existing users of the SOLIDARNA Foundation funds, guided by the county development index. The focus is, of course, on the most underdeveloped areas of the country.

Severina Lajtman was a scholarship recipient of the fund for four years while attending the Private Art High School. Now she is a student at the Faculty of Philosophy, a talented young actress with the desire to enroll in acting at the Academy of Dramatic Arts in Zagreb.

“The SOLIDARNA Foundation helped me finance my education and I am grateful to heaven for the opportunity to study. This scholarship was a motivation and incentive for me not to give up on my dreams,” Severina Lajtman says gratefully.

The fund was created in 2018 on the basis of an HRK 600,000 donation by the then hundred-year-old Desa Baković, who wanted to start a program supporting the education of children growing up in families with disadvantaged financial circumstances.

“Since its inception, the fund has been telling 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 the children and the entire ‘new class’ of 30 students,” said Sanja Sarnavka, president of the SOLIDARNA Foundation board, who has been involved in the work of the fund since its inception. To date, the fund’s scholarship recipients reside in 20 different locations, and according to Ms. Desa’s wishes, most of them are from villages and municipalities in Kordun, Bania, and the outskirts of Lika and Gorski kotar.

Support the campaign “Solidarity with a goal” and help us create equal opportunities for every youth! Donate at: www.solidarna.hr.

Photography: Nina Đurđević