THE LAST KILOMETERS OF UNICEF’S MILKY WAY

Thank you to each and every one of the more than 30,000 participants across Croatia, as well as to our partners, corporate teams, schools, families, children, young people, and all the stars of the Milky Way who, together with us over the past seven years, have achieved numerous important goals for children in Croatia.

The race will not continue physically or virtually in 2024. As an incentive for all future collaborations and projects, important joint results and countless kilometers of immeasurable support remain behind us!

The Milky Way was an important platform for raising awareness and gathering resources for key investments in the welfare of children, youth, and families through UNICEF’s programs in Croatia. In seven years, the Milky Way race has collected 900,000 euros (6.7 million kuna) to support children and young people in Croatia. With these funds, UNICEF supported the opening of a national human milk bank, provided financial support to foster families with the youngest children, provided equipment to all maternity hospitals in Croatia, supported the establishment of services for children with disabilities and their families, and invested in programs to support the mental health of children and young people.

This year we are entering new important areas of work for children in Croatia. Among other things, the results of the research show that in Croatia, 36% of children between the ages of 8 and 9 are overweight or obese. Therefore, we are preparing new projects and campaigns to improve the nutritional literacy of children, parents, and caregivers, to support health and educational experts in promoting optimal nutrition practices, and to create new knowledge.

New times bring new challenges for many girls and boys – so we still count on your support!

Only together can we continue to work on achieving positive changes and creating better living conditions for the most vulnerable children and families in Croatia.