Park Istra is preparing for a new season of volunteer campaigns. This year we will open the season in Gabrovica, where the locals welcomed us warmly last year. This year we will continue to support those who need our help, support sustainable projects of local people, local communities and non-governmental organizations, which will contribute to a higher quality of living in our region.
One of the main goals of this year’s season is to establish a volunteer center at a permanent location. There is a lot of interest in volunteering, so we can no longer accept all volunteers who want to help. We have problems mainly in the winter part of the year, because we do not have suitable premises for our activities. We decided to establish permanent premises, which will enable us to work even better. We want to establish the first permanent volunteer center in Slovenia, which will be able to receive 20 volunteers throughout the year.
In the past months, we focused on the design of new programs for volunteers at Park Istra. We decided to begin making a wide variety of handicraft products, which will help to preserve and revive the rich Istrian craftsmanship traditions. By selling these products, we will receive funds that we will donate entirely for schooling and feeding children with fewer opportunities in one of the developing countries. With every euro we can do much more in these countries than in Slovenia. In the past few months, we have established a partnership with the Philippine organization Lola Sayong, which will ensure that our donations will be fully used for those that really need them. In the Philippines, every third child is still malnourished (source: Save the Children Fundation). With the new program, we will do a lot of good for those who need our help most, and at the same time our volunteers will get the opportunity to learn a wide range of new skills.
Petra Matos