Country profile: Croatia

Total population: 4 million
Total children under the age of 18: 1 million

The situation of children in Croatia

The estimated number of orphans in Croatia is 4000 and around half of them live in the institutions. There are generally no orphans on the street as the social system is taking care of their basic needs. However, the greatest problem is that there are not enough foster families and too many children are put into institutions. Regretfully, the number of foster families is even decreasing each year and the age of the foster parents is getting older. There is an urgent need for more foster parents, especially younger ones. Another urgent need is to motivate churches to get more involved in fostering.

Towards Croatia without Orphans:
There is yet no national network, but WWO Europe is connected to several people who are involved in caring for orphans and vulnerable children in the country. For more information contact Pastor Vlado Hoblaj.

Other Information about Orphaned and Vulnerable Children and Family Care in Croatia

Better Care Network Information on Family-Based Care in Croatia
More information for prayer at Operation World