Petrinja earthquake relief (Pomoc za stradale)

Petrinja and the surrounding villages in Banija were devastated by two strong earthquakes (5.4 and 6.3 on the Richter scale) in the last two days (12/28 and 12/29). Many people are left without homes and power in the middle of a severe winter and the coronavirus pandemic.

We are raising funds to help those significantly affected by funding temporary housing and immediate needs such as food, toiletries, and other essential supplies. As the situation stabilizes our focus will shift to restoration relief efforts, including home and farm rebuilds. As humble farming communities, your financial support can go a long way to help families, who've worked this land for centuries, rebuild their lives. The region has faced economic strife, and countless other challenges over the last several decades. While resilient, the people of Banija need your help in this devastating time.

Originally from Banija, we are family with deep roots in the region. While living all over the world, our hearts and minds are always with our people, loved ones, friends and neighbors back home.

We will continue to update the page on how the funds are being spent to help the earthquake victims. Some of the immediate needs for the people are:

-Emergency shelter (hotel rooms)
-Debit cards for food, other essential supplies (method used by The Red Cross in emergencies) 
-Home repairs

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Petrinja i okolna sela su pogodjena dvama razornim potresima (5,4 i 6,3 po Richteru) u ponedjeljak i utorak, 28. i 29. 12. Mnogi stanovnici su ostali bez krova nad glavom i bez struje, u sred zime i epidemije corona virusa.

Prikupljamo sredstva za pomoć onima koji su najviše zahvaćeni. Želja nam je da se obezbedi privremeni smještaj i najosnovnije potrebe kao što su hrana, higijena i ostalo što je najosnovnije. Nakon što se situacija donekle stabilizira, želimo pomoći oko obnavljanja kuća i imanja. Kako su to skromna poljoprivredna naselja, vaša finacijska podrška može biti od velikog značaja u pružanju pomoći porodicama koje su obradjivale tu zemlju stoljećima, da mogu obnoviti svoj izvor egzistencije. Naš kraj je proživio višestruke nevolje u zadnjih nekoliko decenija, pa je ovaj udar tim teže prevazići.  Narod Banije treba vašu pomoć u ovoj katastrofalnoj situaciji.

Izvorno sa Banije, naša porodica ima duboke korijene u tom kraju. Iako sad živimo širom svijeta, naše misli i naša srca su stalno s našim narodom i našim bližnjima tamo kod kuće. Na ovoj stranici ćemo vas obavještavati o tome kako su upotrijebljena sredstva za pomoć žrtvama potresa.

Neke od najosnovnijih potreba su:Osigurati prinudni smještaj (hotelske sobe,...)
Predplaćene kartice za hranu i najnužnije potrebe ( tako Crveni križ šalje pomoć u kriznim situacijama).
Pomoć u popravljanju kuća.

Boris Bajlovic  i  Marko Madjarac


UPDATE: 12/30/2020

Yesterday and today we have been in constant communication with community leaders and people on the ground in Petrinja, Luscani, Bacuga and Banski Grabovac. Through our discussion we have identified families in the region that meet the following criteria:

1.) Their home has been significantly damaged and is not safe for habitation or completely destroyed 
2.) They have limited options of receiving financial aid from other sources
3.) They have no options or limited options on leaving the disaster zone

The community leaders have helped us identify 23 families in these villages that fit the above mentioned criteria. We are in direct communication with each one of these households.
We have been told that food and clothing is being rapidly distributed by the Army and the Red Cross and the most effective way to help these families is through monetary donations. With that advice, we are moving forward to distribute the funds collected through this fundraiser, equally, to each household. The amount of the donation will be $500 dollars per household. Any left over funds will be donated to the Red Cross in Petrinja.   

We will use the following mechanism to do so:

We will withdraw the funds from this fundraiser. Because the Petrinja bank branches are closed and have been damaged, the Baptisticka Crkva Zagreb Malesnica has agreed to help us facilitate the transfer of funds to Croatia. We will wire the money to the Church. Our contact on the ground in Croatia, will withdraw the donations and personally distribute the funds to each of the families. We want to be mindful of people's privacy in this difficult time and will provide updates as each family is comfortable with. If you have specific questions, ideas or suggestions please don't hesitate to reach out to us.