Anita Ogulin, a highly respected humanitarian who dedicated her life to helping and fighting the cause of those in need, in particular children, has died aged 72 after struggling with cancer.

Born to a partially sighted mother and totally blind father, Ogulin learnt about obstacles faced by the underprivileged first-hand since her childhood, developing a strong sense of empathy that would mark all her life.

She soon took over the care for the family farm as well as becoming a guide for the blind and visually impaired and she would help and motivate those in need as a volunteer all her life.

She spent most of her professional career as a journalist, retiring early, in 1998, after a traffic accident. Having recovered, she dedicated her efforts fully to help children and families in need.

Working with the Ljubljana Moste Polje branch of the youth charity Friends of Youth (ZPM) she championed many successful projects. The organisation honoured her work by expanding its name with hers a few months ago.

The projects initiated or headed by Ogulin helped children regain a sense of acceptance and self-worth, facilitating their social inclusion.

These include the children's parliament, several scholarship funds and free learning assistance for poor children and youth, a safe house for children, and the Botrstvo sponsorship scheme for kids. The latter has helped more than 13,000 children and youth since being founded in 2010.

For more than 40 years, she accompanied children and youth as a volunteer teacher to summer and winter camps, holidays, trips and excursions, detecting shortcomings and challenges in the realisation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, ZPM said.

Listing her achievements, ZPM paid tribute to Ogulin by saying she set up unique mechanisms for helping people in distress that have proven to be efficient.

"Her love and dedication to her work had no limits, as she always said: 'Charity is my mission, it lives through me,'" the NGO said.

Ogulin was also passing on the values of respect, solidarity and care for others to her younger colleagues and was a mentor to a team of charity workers, who will continue to create programmes and projects for children, youth and families, the NGO added.

Tanja Petek, the secretary of the ZPM Ljubljana Moste-Polje branch, said they had lost an "exceptional, irreplaceable" member, who "left us priceless heritage". "I strongly hope we will continue to pursue her mission, spread her values of compassion, respect and responsibility for the vulnerable and be there for the children, youth and families in distress."

Ogulin received a number of awards and titles for her work, being named person or woman of the year by several leading Slovenian media outlets and being decorated by two presidents.

Former President Danilo Türk presented her wih the Order of Merit in 2012 and current Slovenian President Nataša Pirc Musar awarded her the Golden Order of Merit in May 2024 for her lifetime efforts dedicated to voluntary service and aid to people in need.

Expressing her condolences to Ogulin's family on her death on 16 July, Pirc Musar said that not many people "touch so many hearts as dear Anita did".

"She left an indelible mark on the lives of the many people who knew her, and countless others were touched by her help. Her compassionate heart, kindness and dedication to supporting the vulnerable inspired many and her work will always be remembered," the president wrote in a social media post.

The Alma Foundation, a non-profit founded by Pirc Musar, also expressed condolences, noting that one of its projects had been founded on the findings and research that led the Anita Ogulin and the ZPM to focus on the mental health of children and youth. The project will now be fully dedicated to her and to continuing her mission.

Prime Minister Robert Golob expressed his condolences on Instagram, labelling Ogulin a "great charity worker and the voice of the most vulnerable in our society". He said he was honoured to have met her and worked with her.