British House Croatia – Croatia, the War, and the Future

Burns Night 2015 In Croatia To Aid SOS Children’s Village Foundation

“Then let us pray that come it may,
As come it will for a’ that
That Sense and Worth, o’er a’ the earth,
May bear the gree, and a’ that.
For a’ that, and a’ that,
It’s comin yet for a’ that,
That Man to Man, the world o’er,
Shall brothers be for a’ that!”

A verse from song by Scottish poet Robert Burns “A Man’s A Man”, 1795, in which he speaks of liberty and independence. In that verse Burns pleads that mind and character should be the standard for judging men, not their wealth or position.

The Homeland War or Croatian War of Independence in the early 1990’s had a devastating effect on Croatia’s economy and poverty, mainly due to high unemployment, spreads viciously by the day, cutting the meeting of even the basic of needs from under the feet of helpless children.

Burns Night in Croatia
Photo: croatiaweek.com

2015 Burns Night in Zagreb, in honour of Scotland’s greatest poet, will be a gala event presented by the Croatia-based United Kingdom Friendship Society, the British House and the Esplanade Hotel, and with the kind media support of Croatia Week and Soundset Plavi.
It will be held on the night of January 17th, 2015 at the Hotel Esplanade in Zagreb.
Raffle and all profits and donations will go to SOS Children’s Village Croatia Foundation http://sos-dsh.hr/en/

Burns Night 2015
Zagreb Hotel Esplanade

What a great cause.

Photo: SOS Children’s Village Croatia

Those who wish to buy a ticket may do so by emailing info@dpuk.hr (tickets are HRK 500 with today’s currency conversion rates that would be USD80/EURO66), but those of you who are unable to attend but wish to donate to the charity can do so by sending what they can to:

Drustvo prijatelja ujedinjenog Kraljevstva
Bascanske ploce 25, 10 000 Zagreb
IBAN: HR4824020061100643129
SWIFT (BIC): ESBC HR 22
Please use the reference/note “AUSBurns 2015″ or “NZBrurns 2015” or “USABurns 2015” or “CABurns 2015” or “UKBurns 2015” or “GERBurns 2015” … to mark the country from which you are sending the payment.

Photo: SOS Children’s Village Croatia

SOS Children’s Villages has been present in Croatia since 1992. Currently SOS Children’s Villages is supporting local children, young people and families in two locations in Croatia struck by poverty. The work of SOS Children’s Villages has responded to the changing needs of children and families in Croatia. The organisation works in Lekenik which is 24 kilometres from Zagreb and in Ladimirevci in the east of the country. In both locations it supports children by providing them with loving care in an SOS family, and young people by providing houses where they can learn to live semi-independently.

Photo: SOS Children’s Village Croatia

Whatever charity you support is a most wonderful pursuit of humanity and helping children whose lives are cruelly affected by poverty is a pursuit that stands out above most as children are our future and we can all make a difference to a better and peaceful future. I trust the welfare of children living in poverty will be on your mind this Christmas season especially. Ina Vukic, Prof. (Zgb); B.A., M.A.Ps. (Syd)