SOS Children in Croatia

Croatia is part of the former Yugoslavia. An independent state since 1991, it was one of the most prosperous and well-developed of the Republics before the dissolution of Yugoslavia. However the Civil War which broke out in 1991 plunged the country into crisis.

There are still some 33,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Croatia, as well as 22,000 refugees from Bosnia and Herzegovina. Landmines and weapons continue to endanger the population and present an obstacle for the safe return of refugees and IDPs, with around one million mines and unexploded ordnance strewn over nearly 11 per cent of the country's territory.

Lekenik

We opened our first Croatian SOS Children's Village in 1993 in Lekenik, a small rural community 15 miles southeast of Zagreb. Located on the outskirts of the town, next to a primary and a secondary school, the Village has 15 family houses providing a new home for up to 98 children. A community building and a leisure centre integrated in to the Village in 2002 offer different activities for the children from the SOS Children's Village Lekenik as well as for children from the local neighbourhood. Opened in 1996, an SOS Nursery with six classrooms and a playground is open to small children from both the Village and the surrounding community. Opened the same year, an SOS Youth Home for up to 22 older children was established in nearby Zagreb. Here, young people gradually start to learn how to lead independent lives whilst under the guidance of qualified youth workers.

SOS Children’s Village Ladimirevci opened in 1995. An ancient village in Eastern Croatia, Ladimirevci is about 12 miles from Osijek in a region of thick forest and rivers. It is an area that was extensively destroyed during the war and many of the children here are war orphans. The Village has 16 family houses which built in typical Slavonic style and home to over one hundred children. The children attend the local schools, including the new elementary school in Ladimirevci where a number of the classrooms and the sports hall were financed by SOS Children’s Villages. In 2000, an SOS Youth Home was set up in Osijek for up to 32 youths from the SOS Children's Village. As the SOS Youth Home in Osijek had already reached its maximum capacity one more house was purchased at the end of 2004 for the youths from SOS Children's Villages Ladimirevci.

When Matea was asked to participate in the annual inter-city contest for hairdressing students as the sole representative from the town of Osijek she did not hesitate to agree, but she did tremble with fear. Insecure about her talent, Matea registered last minute, after she had been persuaded to do so by her teacher and her youth home educator.

The third-year student is doing her compulsory work experience at a local hair salon in Osijek. The owner, Ms Zorica, is very satisfied with Matea's work. "Like Matea, I am still excited that she came second place and has qualified for the tenth national hairstyling contest in Zagreb this April," says Zorica.

"Matea's success seems all the more important when you know that she grew up without her parents and had to work extra hard to prove her worth," adds Ms Zorica. "In the future, I just intend to take on young people from SOS Children's Village Ladimirevci and the SOS Youth Home in Osijek [for work experience at the salon]. Matea has opened the door for them."