In Latvia, based on the Riga Ukrainian secondary school, the first summer camp was opened - a common one for Ukrainian and Latvian schoolchildren. 82 children from Ukraine will be able to relax in it. This became possible thanks to the initiative of First Lady Olena Zelenska, the full support of the wife of the President of Latvia Andra Levite, and the efforts of the Ambassador of Ukraine to Latvia Oleksandr Mishchenko.
“The war took away our children's possibility to normally attend school. Will he also take away his summer vacation? Together with the first ladies of different countries, we are trying to win back a normal summer for our children. And here is our first result,†Olena Zelenska said.
The Government of Latvia has decided to allocate additional funding for the organization of a number of such camps. It is expected that during June-August they will open in each of the 43 municipalities of the country.
Camps will be organized for students in grades 1-12, shifts will last for two weeks.
The same number of Ukrainian and Latvian children are expected to rest in each camp.
On the Ukrainian side, these will be children whose families cannot return to Ukraine because their housing has been destroyed or is in the territory occupied by Russia. It is assumed that about 3,000 Ukrainian schoolchildren will be able to improve their health (at present, approximately 32,000 temporarily displaced persons are registered in Latvia).
The camp programs will contain all kinds of general education, sports and creative activities that will improve children's communication skills and Latvian language lessons.
“In this way, children of different cultures will better understand each other, including the language – from next year, all schools in Latvia will switch to their native Latvian to counter the Russian threat in such a way. After a joint summer, our students will be better prepared for this,†commented Olena Zelenska.
In addition, joint camps will help strengthen psycho-emotional well-being, which is important for Ukrainian and Latvian children.
In addition to financing the camps at the state's expense, the Embassy of Ukraine is considering the possibility of involving private structures in the initiative.
