On 4th-6st of September Latvian Red Cross Rezekne branch together with Norwegian Red Cross Oppland branch and Rezekne municipality visited social risk families which participated in the joint project “Work therapy”. It gave the possibility to see the results of this project and also to listen to the stories and experience of participants.
The project funds were used for 12 families with children to buy seeds of vegetables, herbs and berries in order to plant them in families` gardens or to maintain the gardens, thus motivating to ensure their daily needs by themselves. The families were from 4 different districts – Kaunata, Makonkalns, Dricani and Berzgale, and each family received EUR 83,00.
During the „Work therapy” every family had one Rezekne regional social worker as a supervisor who followed the working process. Each of the participants created a journal/diary, where they wrote down the work progress and expressed it together with photos and childrens` drawings.
Every visited family was pleased to tell their guests about their biggest benefits of „Work therapy”. They were thankful not only for the opportunity to do the gardening and therefore to ensure more food supplies for winter, but also for the joy and motivation which was shown by every family member.
Since the project was successful, Oppland branch together with Rezekne branch are planning to do it also next year by involving 12 other families from different districts of Rezekne region.
More about the results of the project and photos can be found in the article made by local newspaper www.rezeknesnovads.lv HERE (in Latvian).
Oppland branch colleagues visited also the Humanitarian aid point of LatRC Rezekne branch, and also discussed the organization of joint Youth camps in 2016.
