On 13 June 2026, KroNland participated in the Sisak NGO Fair for the very first time. It may seem like a small step, but for us it was a meaningful moment, a chance to stand among other associations, look back on five years of work, and share our story with the local community. KroNland was founded on 10 January 2021, only ten days after the devastating earthquake that struck Sisak-Moslavina County. What began as a humanitarian response quickly grew into a platform connecting Croatia and the Netherlands through education, sustainable development, culture and international cooperation.

Behind us are five years of projects, partnerships, workshops, festivals, Erasmus+ initiatives, international exchanges, and countless volunteer hours. At the fair, visitors could learn more about our journey through photographs, our newly published five-year bulletin, and a model of a sustainable tiny house representing our Green Village Banovina vision.

What made this day truly special were the people who represented KroNland.

Matilda’s First Volunteer Experience

Matilda, a 17-year-old student of the Viktorovac School of Pharmacy in Sisak, joined us as a volunteer for the very first time. Besides her school commitments, Matilda has dedicated many years to music. Just a week before the fair, she successfully passed her final piano examination with excellent results. Music has been an important part of her life, alongside her former passion for figure skating. The NGO Fair was her first volunteering experience.

We hope this first step will enrich her life and contribute to her personal growth. Creativity and helping others may seem like different worlds, but they are often two sides of the same story. Both require empathy, patience, dedication and the willingness to give something of yourself to others. Watching Matilda confidently present KroNland’s work to visitors was a reminder that every volunteer journey begins with a single opportunity.

Josry Returns Home

Alongside Matilda, KroNland was represented by our long-time volunteer and member, Josry.

Originally from the Netherlands, Josry moved to Croatia two years ago. Since then, he has also spent time in Athens, Greece, where he built strong friendships and expanded his social network through various community initiatives. Last week he returned to Croatia. Officially, he came back because he missed his biggest and best friend, Benji, our beloved dog.

While Josry was away, we did our best to take care of Benji. Anyone who has ever shared a home with a tornjak knows that life can sometimes become a little chaotic. Yet from the moment Josry returned, everything seemed to fall back into place. The house became calmer, Benji happier, and our KroNland family of volunteers and friends felt complete again. At the fair, Josry enthusiastically distributed our first five-year bulletin and welcomed visitors to our stand. When I asked him afterwards how the day had been, he smiled and said it was a good experience even though some neighbouring stands attracted larger crowds thanks to homemade cakes, burek and other treats. We had no cakes, we had no burek. We only had our bulletin, our projects, our volunteers and our story. And, as always, we gave our very best.

Looking Forward

The story of KroNland began with solidarity after the earthquake. Five years later, it continues through people who believe in cooperation, sustainability, education and community. Our first participation at the Sisak NGO Fair was not about being the biggest stand or attracting the largest crowd. It was about being present, it was about celebrating five years of work. And it was about recognising the people who make every project possible, volunteers like Matilda and Josry.

Thank you to everyone who stopped by, asked questions, took a bulletin, shared a conversation or simply offered a smile. The journey continues.

Special thanks to photographer Ivica “Jerry” Bohorc for the beautiful portraits of Matilda. The photograph of Josry and Benji was taken by Sandra Drnić.

Croatian version bellow

Pet godina kasnije: KroNland na Sajmu udruga u Sisku

Dana 13. lipnja 2026. godine KroNland je po prvi put sudjelovao na Sajmu udruga u Sisku. Naizgled mali korak, ali za nas vrlo važan trenutak, prilika da stanemo uz druge udruge, osvrnemo se na pet godina rada i svoju priču podijelimo s lokalnom zajednicom.

KroNland je osnovan 10. siječnja 2021. godine, samo deset dana nakon razornog potresa koji je pogodio Sisačko-moslavačku županiju. Ono što je započelo kao humanitarna pomoć ubrzo je preraslo u platformu koja povezuje Hrvatsku i Nizozemsku kroz obrazovanje, održivi razvoj, kulturu i međunarodnu suradnju. Iza nas je pet godina projekata, partnerstava, radionica, festivala, Erasmus+ inicijativa, međunarodnih susreta i bezbroj volonterskih sati. Na sajmu su posjetitelji mogli upoznati naš rad kroz fotografije, prvi bilten koji prikazuje pet godina djelovanja udruge te maketu održive tiny kuće koja predstavlja našu viziju Green Village Banovina.

No ono što je ovaj dan učinilo posebnim bili su ljudi koji su predstavljali KroNland.

Matildino prvo volontiranje

Matilda, sedamnaestogodišnja učenica Farmaceutske škole Viktorovac u Sisku, pridružila nam se kao volonterka po prvi put. Uz školu, godinama se posvećivala glazbi, a samo tjedan dana prije sajma s odličnim je uspjehom položila završni ispit iz klavira. Glazba je važan dio njezina života, kao i nekadašnje bavljenje klizanjem koje je s vremenom zamijenila drugim interesima. Sajam udruga bio je njezino prvo volontersko iskustvo.

Vjerujemo da će joj upravo ovakva iskustva obogatiti život i pomoći u osobnom razvoju. Kreativnost i pomaganje drugima možda na prvi pogled izgledaju kao različiti putevi, ali često su dvije strane iste priče. Obje traže empatiju, strpljenje, predanost i želju da dio sebe podijelimo s drugima. Gledati Matildu kako s osmijehom predstavlja rad udruge posjetiteljima bio je podsjetnik da svako veliko volontersko putovanje počinje malim prvim korakom.

Josry se vratio kući

Uz Matildu, KroNland je predstavljao naš dugogodišnji volonter i član udruge Josry. U Hrvatsku je došao iz Nizozemske prije dvije godine, a u međuvremenu je boravio i u Ateni, gdje je izgradio brojna prijateljstva i proširio svoju mrežu društvenih kontakata. Prošloga tjedna vratio se u Hrvatsku. Službeno, razlog povratka bio je njegov najveći i najbolji prijatelj, Benji. Dok je Josry bio odsutan, brinuli smo se o Benjiju najbolje što smo znali i mogli. Svatko tko je ikada živio s tornjakom zna da život ponekad može biti vrlo dinamičan, no od trenutka kada se Josry vratio, činilo se kao da je sve ponovno sjelo na svoje mjesto. U kući je zavladao mir, Benji je bio sretniji, a naša KroNland zajednica volontera i prijatelja ponovno se osjećala potpunom.

Na sajmu je Josry s veseljem dijelio naš prvi bilten i razgovarao s posjetiteljima. Kada sam ga nakon događanja pitala kako mu je bilo, nasmijao se i rekao da je bilo lijepo, iako su neki susjedni štandovi imali više posjetitelja jer su dijelili kolače, bureke i druge poslastice. Mi nismo dijelili kolače, nismo dijelili bureke, dijelili smo samo svoj bilten, svoje projekte, svoje ideje i svoju priču.

I kao i uvijek do sada – dali smo najbolje od sebe.

Nastavljamo dalje

Priča KroNlanda započela je solidarnošću nakon potresa. Pet godina kasnije nastavlja se kroz ljude koji vjeruju u suradnju, održivi razvoj, obrazovanje i zajedništvo. Naše prvo sudjelovanje na Sajmu udruga u Sisku nije bilo važno zato što smo imali najveći štand ili najveću gužvu. Bilo je važno zato što smo bili prisutni, zato što smo proslavili pet godina rada, i zato što smo mogli zahvaliti ljudima bez kojih ništa od ovoga ne bi bilo moguće, volonterima poput Matilde i Josrya.

Hvala svima koji su zastali kod našeg štanda, uzeli bilten, postavili pitanje, podijelili razgovor ili jednostavno poklonili osmijeh. Mi nastavljamo dalje, korak po korak, zajedno.

Posebno zahvaljujemo fotografu Ivici “Jerryju” Bohorcu na prekrasnim portretima Matilde. Fotografiju Josryja i Benjija snimila je Sandra Drnić.