Every society encounters problems with poverty. The problem in itself is not poverty’s existence but the community's willingness and efforts aimed towards helping those who need it the most. We offer a community stronghold that builds on its own capacities and strengthens the disenfranchised by including all aspects of community life. We intend to introduce an idea that relies on concepts such as inclusiveness, empathy, and equality to invoke activism and awareness amongst the community.

Our project takes place in Daruvar and also affects smaller places in Bjelovarsko-bilogorska county.

Croatia is a country that in regions where the war took place fights poverty and lack of tolerance among its population. Daruvar, the town where the project will be held, is home to different minorities and one of the most common topics in the conversations is the issue of coexistence of different cultures. Due to the consequences of the war, a nationalist note and poverty were felt in Daruvar. That is why it is necessary to raise awareness of coexistence in diversity and encourage them to move forward. One of the ways to do this is to encourage mutual acquaintance through joint volunteering and education of younger members of society as well as by organizing a Donation Center as a place where locals could express their solidarity and be included in sustainable development.

We are doing it for the disenfranchised children in the local community since it is widely known that there are fewer opportunities in the rural parts of the country than in the big city centers. Also disenfranchised children and people are at greater risk to stay despaired since their communities usually don’t have the structural tools needed in order to help their most vulnerable citizens. By spreading the idea of the Donation Center through school workshops, stands in the local fair markets and engaging with the local committees we’ll be able to identify and include our ultimate target groups while educating everyone else we’ve been in contact with. The idea of the Donation Center is to strengthen its community by developing differentiated social services for everyone to take part in.

Firstly, we’ll make a partnership with a local Red Cross. We already made contacts and agreements about the possibility of opening the Donation Centre, such as the one we had established in Zagreb.
Secondly, we’ll make contacts with local schools and committees and present our idea to include pupils in volunteering activities and to perform workshops about volunteering as an important part of active citizenship. We wish to raise awareness of tolerance and diversity by holding workshops in schools and joint volunteering in the Donation Center. Donation Center itself will be arranged in a way suitable for kids or local people gathering. We will promote Donation Centre and other activities at local fairs by setting up the toys, in local media, making posters for public notice boards etc.

The expected result would be in transferring good practices and experiences from our concept of the Donation Center in Zagreb to the rural areas that could greatly benefit from it. Heightening the recognition in the work of the Donation Center will attract more people to visit it, which will in turn result in more donations, which will in turn benefit children from low socio-economic standings. By promoting its own practice locally, the Donation Center will raise awareness for the socially vulnerable, spread the ideas of inclusiveness and equality, and encourage civic activism and volunteering amongst the townsfolk. By promoting its own practice nationally with different media outlets and local stakeholders it will enable the general idea of the DC to spread to nearby towns and counties.

The aim of this project is to encourage empathy and humanitarian action in children, to help them see the needs of children around them, to encourage them to improve the quality of life of their peers. Through our activities, we will encourage the local community to get involved and participate in activities, encourage volunteering and active citizenship. The main and long-term goal of the project is to increase the social responsibility of young people, motivate them and sensitize them to participate in the activities of the local community, in order to provide support to vulnerable and marginalized members of society. By creating the Donation Center and its activities, we will spread the values ​​of tolerance, intergenerational solidarity and diversity.

Krugovi is a civic, non-governmental organization that carried out many projects in the last ten years. In our team, we are all highly motivated to initiate and conduct projects that are useful for the local community and uphold its development especially in the civil domain, such as this idea of implementing good practices in Daruvar because of the increased poverty and the need to amplify active citizenship in the local area through humanitarian and sustainable activities.
Furthermore, we advocate for the education of children and youth for an active and tolerant society, promoting peace and empathy for diversity, encouraging critical thinking and education for the integration of marginalized social groups, respect for fundamental human rights, solidarity and intergenerational support.

Our major expenses for the implementation of this idea are: personnel costs 30000 EUR, office expenses 4000 EUR, promotional costs 2000EUR and travel costs 900 EUR.

We would like to get feedback concerning the intelligibility of the project with the purpose of making it more understandable and explicit. We would also like to hear from others who had similar experiences to share the main obstacles and possible problems, in order to find suitable solutions.