Help for Ukrainian refugees in Latvia

The goal of the "Help to Ukrainian refugees in Latvia" initiative is to provide long-term support to Ukrainian refugees in Latvia and involve the public in providing assistance. The project "Assistance to Ukrainian refugees in Latvia" is financed within the framework of the implementation of the project "Bilateral cooperation fund 2018-2025" of the financial instrument of the European Economic Area and the financial instrument of Norway for the period 2014-2021, thanks to the involvement of the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Latvia and the Embassy of Norway and for support.

The "Ziedot.lv" Foundation (hereinafter - Ziedot.lv) as a social support and charity organization plans to provide its services to Ukrainian refugees on an equal basis, as we provide to the citizens of Latvia.

Ukrainian refugees would have the opportunity to receive assistance within the same programs as available to local residents. At the same time, we would like to emphasize that the support programs are indicative and the support will be provided according to the individual needs of the refugees. This includes the following assistance programs:

• Health program: assistance in the provision of unpaid state medical services in Latvia – medical treatment, operations, medications, rehabilitation, dentistry, technical aids. The aid program also includes treatment of war injuries. Help for children with serious illnesses, including autism, cerebral palsy, neuromotor illnesses - payment of specialists, provision of medicines or technical aids. Children's rehabilitation center "Poga" provides rehabilitation for seriously ill children and young people, introducing the latest rehabilitation methods in Latvia. Within the framework of the health program, cooperation will also take place with the Ministry of Health, providing specific surgical treatment to victims of war in Ukraine.
• Social assistance program: within the framework of the program, several projects are implemented to provide support to various groups of society - poor families with children, needy elderly people, people in emergency situations - purchase of various household items, etc. Within the framework of the social assistance program, a charity warehouse also operates, which provides financial assistance and temporary food assistance. As part of the social assistance program, Ziedot.lv will cooperate with local governments that have received Ukrainian refugees.
• Consultation program: Ziedot.lv provides support to citizens in contact with state and local government institutions, advising on available help and the procedures for receiving help from state and local government institutions. In the case of Ukrainian refugees, this will be an essential part of the support given both the language barrier and the lack of experience.
• Cooperation program of non-governmental organizations: providing support to other non-governmental organizations that provide support to citizens from vulnerable and sensitive groups of society. With the help of cooperating NGOs, property donations will be transferred from the charity warehouse.

2.) Public involvement in supporting Ukrainian refugees

Ziedot.lv provides its services mainly on donations from residents and entrepreneurs. As part of the initiative, public awareness and engagement activities will be held to raise funds for assistance. Events will be held to promote integration and hospitality. The media and social networking platforms will be involved.

3.) Adaptation of Ziedot.lv operation to work with Ukrainian refugees

As part of the initiative, the necessary actions will be taken to adapt the Ziedot.lv organization to work with Ukrainian refugees. First of all, information should be provided on the possibilities of receiving assistance in the Ukrainian language, including the application form for assistance, rules for providing assistance, individual assistance contracts and reporting forms in Ukrainian. It is necessary to integrate the developed materials into the Ziedot.lv website and the document management system, as well as additional resources for working with the Ukrainian refugee community.

As a result of the initiative, long-term civil society support for refugees from the Ukrainian war and integration of refugees into Latvian society will be ensured.

Project term: From July 2022 to December 2023. Project funding: 150,000 euros.