Through the eyes #14
Wednesday 05 October 2022
This week we take you to Slovenia to discover the fourteenth story from UniCredit's 2021 Annual Report. Since 2009 our team has proudly been supporting ZPM Ljubljana Moste-Polje, a non-profit and humanitarian organization, in their pledge to improve young people and families’ lives. Read this example of how we are Empowering Communuties to Progress.
UniCredit Bank Slovenia has been affiliated with the charity organisation ZPM Ljubljana Moste-Polje since 2009. The non-profit and humanitarian organisation is committed to improving the quality of life of young people and families by representing their interests, asserting their needs, and protecting their rights. ZPM is driven by the value of social inclusion to improve the terms on which individuals and groups take part in society. Propelling their aim forward is a team of forty specialists, including social workers and legal counsellors, as well as a devoted team of volunteers.
Traditionally, the organisation drew the bulk of its funding from the public and local businesses in order to support families in paying for basic living expenses.
However, as the pandemic took hold and the financial situation quickly worsened for many families in Slovenia, ZPM realised that they had to do more than just offer financial assistance.
While financial assistance can make an instant impact, ZMP knew that to facilitate lasting change they needed to adopt a systematic approach and so the “Chain of Good People” project was born. The programme is grounded in the organisation’s long-term work with families and covers areas such as psychosocial assistance, effective parenting, and housekeeping training.
Recognising the astonishing work of the project and its extraordinary assistance programme for the alleviation of poverty, the UniCredit Foundation donated €10 thousand to the “Chain of Good People”. And the collaboration with UniCredit did not stop there.
In August 2021, more than one hundred of UniCredit’s employees helped with the renovation of the Scouts centre and its surroundings in Bohinj. The centre will host 30 children from ZPM Ljubljana Moste – Polje for a week of relaxation. The children’s week of fun and tranquillity at the Scouts centre will provide them with a much-needed break from their everyday lives but they will also have the opportunity to acquire, with the help and guidance of professionals, social and other skills.
As the New Year approached, the support of UniCredit’s staff for the camp was highlighted by the combined donation of €15 thousand made by the Bank. ZPM and UniCredit’s synergistic partnership also extended to the inception of the Giftmatching programme, taking place during the last months of 2021. The amount donated by the employees – including from the UniCredit Foundation – will be around €3 thousand.
Emphasizing the magnitude of UniCredit’s support of their initiative, Anita Ogulin, President of ZPM Ljubljana Moste – Polje, commented: “Together with UniCredit, we have already helped many families from all over Slovenia on their way to equal opportunities. We are sincerely grateful for the bank’s contribution to our empowerment programs that restore strength, courage, and dignity to families so they may live independently. The support and involvement of various members of society will be of the utmost importance in the coming period”.
Discover more stories from our 2021 Annual Report here: https://annualreport.unicredit.eu/en?intcid=INT-IG_CTA0070