Approved dotations of the OSLA for the year 2011

For this year there have been four times as much requirements as the possibilities of the budget grant of the Office for Slovaks living abroad (OSLA) were. The office accepted 847 requests from 25 foreign countries where Slovaks live (Argentina, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech republic, Montenegro, France, Croatia, Ireland, Canada, Libanon, Hungary, Germany, Norway, Poland, Austria, Romania, USA, Serbia, Syria, Switzerland, Sweden, Italy and Great Britain.).

First and foremost the OSLA supports the Slovak national awarenes and the cultural identity of Slovaks living abroad. Less support is given to the integration of Slovaks into the places from which they come from. This years financial support was oriented mostly on education, children, youth and the development of the informational society.

Serbia as one of the apllyed countries in which more than 50 000 Slovaks live, has handed the most requests to the OSLA, to be more precise 289 requests were sent, but only 152 were approved by the grant committee for the year 2011.

There have been approved three projects of the Cultural institute of Vojvodina's Slovaks. Two of them are being supported regularly by the OSLA, those projects are: maintenance of the portal of Low land Slovak culture www.slovackizavod.org.rs and the International conference of the musicians and music experts. New project of the Culutral Institute is called The Slovak cultural activists from Vojvodina by the eye of the artist Pavel Pop. This project has a goal to make artistic portraits of meaningful Slovak personallities from Vojvodina, which will be made by the artist Pavel Pop.

This year OSLA has dedicated its consideration also to the big investments like Slovak cultural centre in Našice (Slovaks from Croatia) they got a support of 150 000 euros, National museum of Slovaks in Serbia in Báčsky Petrovec (Slovaks from Serbia) the financial support they got is 100 000 euros and the Centre of Slovak culture in Nova Bela (Slovaks from Poland) which is supported with 45 000 euros.

Based on the published results which were brought by the decision of the grant committee and the prezident of OSLA Milan Vetrák, it is noticable that the OSLA showes interest in developing the informational society and also making new qualitative web pages.