Rupel: Slovenia Is One of the Most Humanitarian Countries
"Slovenian UNICEF is among the first five national UNICEF's in the world in terms of funds raised for humanitarian aid per Slovenian citizen," Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel has told a meeting of Lions Club International council of directors.
Speaking at the council's meeting in Portoroz on Saturday evening, Rupel also highlighted Slovenia's assistance in restoring an efficient democracy in the countries of former Yugoslavia.
The effects of the world's struggle against poverty should be visible by 2015, Rupel pointed out, and added that Slovenia has made a considerable contribution in recent years for the victims of natural disasters as well as of dictatorship.
The Slovenian foreign minister moreover said that he was honoured that the directors' council, which meets four times a year, has chosen Slovenia for its first meeting in Europe after twelve years.
At the moment, one of Lions Club International priorities is the fight against river blindness in Africa, the organisation's president Ashok Mehta said. He decorated Vincent Gomes from Kongo-Brazzaville Lions Club for raising US$ 250,000 for the fight against this disease.
In the next few years, around 1,5 million members of 46,000 Lion Clubs around the world are expected to raise funds for the fight against childhood blindness.
The first Lions Club in Slovenia was established 16 years ago. Now there are 46 Lions Club and 15 Leo Clubs with around 1,400 members active in the country, Darinka Pavlic Kamien from the organising committee of the Lions Club Association in Slovenia pointed out.
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