Kustić presents UEFA Foundation for Children award to "Prijatelj" Association in Metković

Every year, UEFA's Foundation for Children gives national associations the opportunity to nominate NGOs working with children in need to receive one of the Foundation’s awards. In 2021, the Croatian Football Federation (HNS) successfully nominated the “Prijatelj” Association in Metković, which received a 52 630 EUR donation for the UEFA Foundation for Children.

The “Prijatelj” Association works with individuals with disabilities, with many of its services directed specifically at children. At the meeting with Kustić, the Association was represented by its president Nikola Popovac.

Foto: Krešimir Jurić / likemetkovic.hr

"I am extremely pleased to personally see and hear how much this donation has helped the “Prijatelj” Association and to know that the funds are being used in the best possible way. We’re one of the few national associations that have had five consecutive successful applications for the UEFA Foundation for Children Awards, and we’re going to continue doing our best to secure funds for different organizations that help children in need – both through the national team’s “Vatreno Srce” Foundation and through UEFA’s different funding opportunities. We want to wish the “Prijatelj” Associations the best of luck in their future work and to express that we’ll continue to remain open to supporting them in their work,” said HNS president Marijan Kustić.

The HNS has so far applied five different non-profit organizations for the UEFA Foundation for Children Awards – the World Roma Organization in Croatia (2017), the “Pogled” Autism Association (2018), the Ivan Štark Educational Center (2019), the Croatian Down Syndrome Associations (2020), and the “Prijatelj” Association (2021). All of the organizations were chosen among the recipients of UEFA’s donations, which helped them fund valuable projects aimed at children in need.

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