During this time it has connected 5,200 sponsors and 5,500 protégés, and offered free-of-charge legal aid to 1,400 individuals and families. The project is under the auspices of the Slovenian Association of Friends of Youth Ljubljana Moste-Polje, which has presented the results of the past period. 5.8 million euros were collected. The children – most of them younger than 14 years – are receiving 30 euros per month, explained the initiator Milena Štular at the press conference. She emphasized that all the collected money is received by children.

This year 1,300 children will be included anew. 250 are still waiting for their sponsor. Legal aid Lawyers participating at the project Sponsorship – free-of-charge legal aid (Botrstvo – brezplačna pravna pomoč) mostly deal with housing issues and issues regarding rights to social benefits. They strive to prevent evictions, make arrangements with banks and Housing Fund, explained Nina Zidar Klemenčič.

Their aid is needed also by a number of individuals due to problems with slow responses of the Social Work Centres, and illegal decisions made by these centres. "People in worst social distress don't acquire their rights within reasonable time," Zidar Klemenčič said. She also said that the number of people in distress asking for their help was increasing. While in the beginning most of people asking for their aid were unemployed, now they are addressed by people who have jobs, but have very low income.

Al. Ma. Translated by G. K.