Zagreb, June 30, 2011 - Eight Croatian non-governmental organizations (NGO's) received today grants in the amount of US$ 45,000 from the World Bank 2011 Civil Society Fund Program (CSF). The grants will help the NGOs implement civic engagement projects supporting activities that empower and enable civil society groups to take initiatives and influence development outcomes while focusing on vulnerable and marginalized groups and individuals. This is the tenth consecutive year that World Bank Croatia Office is providing grants to Croatian civil society organizations.
After carefully reviewing 84 project proposals from NGOs across Croatia, eight projects were selected. This year’s winning projects cover a wide range of civic engagement activities such as: empowering youth and marginalized group, social inclusion of disabled people and environmental protection.
The following NGOs and projects are the winners of this year’s Civil Society Fund program:
Centre for women Adela – Work therapy activities for new knowledge and skills
The main objective of the Project is the organization of therapeutic educational workshops for women victims of domestic violence that will facilitate their employment and contribute to raising their competitiveness in the labor market. Workshops will also focus on raising self-esteem and building self-confidence of these vulnerable groups of women, as well as increasing public awareness about domestic violence.
Centre for Rural Development Sinj - Training – Caring for elderly people in need
The Project Training –Caring for elderly people in need aims to provide unemployed elderly women in the area of Sinj with skills to care for elderly and people in need. The Project will benefit both the trained women who will become more involved in the local community and the recipients of care.
Common zone - Online database for socially responsible women’s entrepreneurship
The objective of the Project is to establish an online database of socially responsible women entrepreneurs, which will be used as a platform for information and knowledge sharing about issues and positive practices in the area of women’s entrepreneurship. The aim is also to increase the presence and improve opportunities for women to start businesses by providing advice on common problems that entrepreneurs face when setting up a business.
HUK – Organization for promoting Humanity and Urban Culture KNIN
MUTATIS MUTANDIS – by changing those things which need to be changed
This Project is focusing on empowering youth from vulnerable families to become more involved in their community. This will be done thorough various educational workshops and events where they will be given the opportunity to learn communications skills, develop their creativity, learn about music, and about the area they live in. These activities will help them to develop new interests, achieve personal growth and become more involved in community development.
Media Factory - Check This Out!
Check This Out! is aiming to involve young people from homes for children and youth in activities and workshops that will teach them about filming and editing, providing them with news skills, teaching them to cooperate with each other and think creatively. They will be able to apply their new skills in the production of educational and promotional TV videos about the rights of children from homes for children and youth to education and employment. The videos will be aired on Internet and broadcast on local and national television networks.
Mogu – therapeutic, recreational and sports horseback riding for people with special needs - Including people with mental disabilities into employment and community
Including people with mental disabilities into employment and the community, will teach people with mild mental disabilities horse breeding skills, increasing their chances to find employment and become more independent and self-reliant, acquire working habits and consequently improve their quality of life. The training and new skills will also enable them to develop new social and communication skills and interact with the local community at the center.
Science and Society Synergy Institute - - Summer Science Factory
This Project is focused on developing a positive attitude towards science, research and technology among young people in the area of city Rijeka. In the world of constant technological and scientific changes, it is essential to keep up with new developments as they are the precondition for economic and individual growth. Working on scientific projects will help youth increase their knowledge, interest and motivation for this field of work, contributing to the creation of an innovative and open - minded workforce, capable of lifelong learning.
The Blue World - Environmental and sustainable development activities for young people in the city of Rijeka
The objective of the Project is to increase the awareness and understanding among young people about environmental issues such as nature and sea protection, conservation, energy and water efficiency, recycling and other environmental issues. This should motivate them to share the new knowledge among their community and influence their behavior towards the environment. Several workshops will be organized including activities such as, replanting forests, beach and sea cleaning, as well as lectures on environmental issues.
