The Hope for Latvia Blog
Big Sport Day
I was in Latvia last weekend visiting one of our partner organisations. It was great to see Good News Church running the Big Sport Day, which has the support of the Latvia Football Association and a couple of significant Latvian businesses.
Twice a month during the summer there is an open invite for young Latvians to participate in sports such as football, basketball and roller hockey. All of the kit is provided, allowing individuals from all socio-economic backgrounds to participate.
The event is hugely popular and is going into its 9th year. The participants have a great opportunity to get active and for the team from Good News to come alongside them and provide advice on some of the challenges in their life.
Human Trafficking
Lucy Atkinson is one of our volunteers and does a fantastic job behind the scenes. Human Trafficking is one of the biggest global injustices and something she is passionate about tackling . Seeing her passion for this cause inspires me and I have asked her to share her thoughts on this blog.
John Lee
We cannot do everything but we can do something.....these we the words running through my head as I read this report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
To summarise the document and its contents. The issue is growing on a daily basis and effecting even more lives. The issue is mind boggling. Far beyond anything that you and me could physically comprehend.
The factors leading to the pain of these women are intertwined and converging.Poverty is a dominant thread in this web. Capturing, trapping and torturing women.
The facts show that..
‘Unemployment rates for women soared, ranging between 70 and 80 percent in most of the former Soviet republics. Out of desperation to gain financial security, women have been more likely to take risky recruitment offers, leaving them prey to the deceptions of traffickers promising decent employment in another country.’[1]
We can be a positive factor in breaking the cycle of poverty in Latvia, through being an organisation that gives woman and families a hope and a future. Removing the potential for traffickers to exploit these women.
So what do we do?
We can sacrifice. A coffee. A bus ride. A bar of chocolate. A glossy magazine. And give. Because really. Do they matter?
We can create. A cake. A card. A dinner party. A pub quiz. And raise awareness. In minds and hearts. Creating donations too.
We cannot do everything but we can do something.
[1] www.thea21campaign.org
Fundraising Ideas
Want to play your part in changing lives in Latvia, but unsure the best way to do it? Why do not hold an fundraising event. The only limit is your own creativity, here are some ideas to get you started:
Ideas for Individuals
Indulge in a skydive or a bungee jump.
How about a sponsored slim or silence?
Sell yourself for the day- Loan yourself out to friends and colleagues for the day, for a price of course.
Give your time- dedicate an hour of your wages to Hope for Latvia.
Leg waxing, loose the eyebrows or your hair.
Organise your Own Event: at work, at school, with friends
Sporting event- Place bets on the Management in a sack race, Grand National Style.
Organise a Marathon- jumping, crawling, running, swimming, reading, watching and more!
Create your own home cinema or up market French bistro experience
Dress down – or fancy dress days at work
And many others- don’t let this list limit you, let it unleash your creativity and take your fundraising to new levels!
For more information, please get in contact.
Streets
At the very centre of everything Hope For Latvia does people are the focus. People are the very drive of Hope For Latvia. We believe in the individual and their significance in breaking the poverty cycle in Latvia. Olesja is a perfect example of this. The funding that Hope for Latvia has been able to provide her has meant that she has been able to conquer the restrains of poverty. Our work in Latvia is constantly growing and evolving so that we are able to reach more people and in turn have a bigger effect on the poverty in the country. Our volunteers that diligently work in helping do this are also central to what we do. We could not do it without them. The Streets is our newsletter, in which we have the opportunity to celebrate people. The families we support and the change that is happening in their situations and also our volunteers, hearing their stories and how they too have been impacted by the work of Hope For Latvia. This is a document of hope. For Latvia.
Check out Streets
Tourism and Trade: A hope for Latvia?
I was talking to an acquaintance the other about my work for Hope For Latvia and she was fascinated to hear about what we do. She had no idea about the poverty some people face in the country. She often visited Riga for work purposes and therefore her perception of the country was gained from the towering architecture and vibrant culture the city does offer to unsuspecting visitors. This got me thinking, for the average visitor to Latvia, what its their view of the country; especially Riga? Tourist sites describe Riga as having a "beautiful city centre full of cobbled courtyards and turn-of-the-century vistas that will take your breath away..and its streets boast some of the best examples of Art Nouveau"(1) However, more famously, Riga boasts a thriving night life which attracts stag do's from all over Europe. It is brilliant that Riga's tourism is increasing due to it becoming an exciting new holiday destination; but I wonder how many of these new visitors realize that 1 in 5 Latvians live below the poverty line, approximately 480 000 people. This is a huge proportion of the population, the equivalent in the UK would be around 13 million people. Would people still find it attractive...if this poverty wasn't hidden behind a screen of popular travel culture? Lets hope that tourism and trade can partner to bring change to the situation of many families in Latvia.
(1) http://www.travelsavvy-riga.com/
