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The Saeima’s annual Christmas charity campaign has raised 23,000 EUR to support children affected by the war in Ukraine. Of this amount, 4,520 EUR was donated during a charity auction held on Thursday, 18 December, outside the Saeima building.
Each December, the Latvian Parliament unites in a Christmas charity initiative to provide holiday gifts for children in need of support. Since the launch of Russia’s full-scale invasion, the campaign has focused its efforts on supporting Ukraine.
All funds raised will benefit children living at the Bereznyansky Educational and Rehabilitation Centre in the Chernihiv region. Nearly 100 children aged between 6 and 18 are cared for at the centre, many of whom have disabilities and require specialised, daily support. The centre also houses orphans, children from socially disadvantaged and large families, and those displaced from occupied territories.
Donations collected through the auction and via the Ziedot.lv platform will be used to purchase charging stations, power banks, warm clothing, toys, and other essentials.
Opening the auction, Speaker of the Saeima Daiga Mieriņa said that our hearts ache for what has been experienced in Ukraine — for human suffering and for the stories we know and have lived through together with the Ukrainian people. These are not abstract events, but human destinies that affect each and every one of us. That is why today we choose to do the very best we can. It is an opportunity to carry with us a fragment of today’s history and of what the Ukrainian people have endured, preserving it as a lasting memory.
Saeima Secretary Edvards Smiltēns emphasised that Latvia is donating to Ukraine because Ukraine is currently fighting one of the most significant battles of the 21st century — a battle for the future of free and democratic civilisation. The outcome of this struggle will affect Europe and the world as a whole. Latvian society has shown that it can engage in debate, hold differing views, and even find itself in intense disagreement. However, today the Saeima calls on this inner strength to be directed not against one another, but against the aggressor and war crimes. This strength, he said, should be devoted to children — to their safety, hope, and the opportunity to live even slightly better lives amid daily air raid alarms.
At the culmination of the charity campaign, during an improvised auction, attendees were able to purchase unique items from Ukraine with symbolic and emotional significance. Among the lots are a photograph by Ukrainian photographer Denis Kryvyi, who was killed in the war; a set of souvenir glasses; bracelets made from recycled shell casings; and handmade items created by Ukrainian children. Other auction items included a flag of the Azov unit signed by its commander, the book Eyes of Mariupol, silver earrings honouring Ukraine’s legendary and world-largest aircraft Mriya, a chevron of the military medic Sarmīte Cīrule, a cross, and other unique items.
The charity event was organised by the Saeima, in cooperation with Ziedot.lv and the Ukrainian Studies Centre.
In previous years, items collected through the Saeima’s Christmas charity initiative have reached children at the Yablunivka Boarding School, the Udaytsi Education and Rehabilitation Centre, social and psychological rehabilitation centres in Chernihiv and Nizhyn, and the village of Khmilnyk, Ukraine.
Photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/saeima/albums/72177720330989032
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Saeima Press Service