St. Vid Development and Integration Center marks three years in Rijeka

The St. Vid Development and Integration Center in Rijeka, Croatia, is celebrating its third anniversary of providing support to Ukrainian refugees and other vulnerable groups. Established in October 2023 through an initiative by Caritas of the Diocese of Rijeka and co-financed by the City of Rijeka, the center serves as a hub for social, educational, and cultural integration.

Led by Tais Prymak, the center employs 17 volunteers and supports approximately 650 participants through its social media community. Programs include language lessons in Croatian, Ukrainian, and English, as well as mathematics and physics tutoring. The center also hosts the ‘Hrvatski uz kavu’ (Croatian over coffee) club to help refugees practice the language in informal settings, alongside creative workshops in sewing, painting, and various crafts.

During the anniversary ceremony, officials highlighted the city's commitment to the project. Jasna Grgurić Malović, representing the City of Rijeka, noted that the city has allocated approximately 110,000 euros to the center's program over the past three years to facilitate the successful inclusion of displaced persons into the local community.