Akropole" together with its cooperation partners launches a charity campaign "Let's help prepare for school together!

From 18 August, shopping and entertainment centre “Akropole” together with its cooperation partners — the association “Palīdzēsim viens otram!”, and companies “Eco Baltia vide” and “Latvijas Zaļais punkts” — launches a charity campaign “Let's help prepare for school together!” The aim of the charity campaign is to support hundreds of families throughout Latvia who, for various reasons, are unable to provide school supplies themselves or who can do so only in part. That is why until 6 September next to the entrance B of “Akropole” every resident is invited to donate clean and still usable children's and teenagers' clothes, shoes and sportswear, school bags and pencil cases, as well as stationery."

At “Akropole” shopping and entertainment centre we have always tried to include family needs in our offer, by providing a range of tenants, entertainment and leisure offers that would be suitable for families with children at different ages. This charity campaign is a great way how we can continue to provide families with what they need and to help those who find it difficult to prepare for school on their own. We invite every person to get involved by donating, furthermore, those visitors of “Akropole” who have the opportunity can purchase school supplies at the stores of our tenants and at the market of school supplies, in this way expressing their support and becoming involved in the campaign,” the CEO of shopping and entertainment centre “Akropole” Zane Kaktiņa points out.

The charity campaign “Let's help prepare for school together!” is being organized at a time when the most active preparations for the new school year are taking place and when families all over Latvia are in a hurry to provide everything needed for school. From the experience of the association “Palīdzēsim viens otram!” hundreds of families need school supplies and clothes and shoes every year.

“The team of “Palīdzēsim viens otram!!” has been helping families in crisis situations already for six years. With regret, it has to be said that for many families in Latvia one of the main difficulties is to get everything that is necessary for their children to start school. We are very grateful to “Akropole” for the initiative to help provide school supplies and sports clothes for families that cannot afford to acquire the necessary items themselves. This year on the list for school bags we have more than 300 children, and for half of them we have not yet been able to acquire the necessary, which is why we truly hope for the responsiveness of the donators!” says the board member and project coordinator of “Palīdzēsim viens otram!” Linda Novicka.

The amount of clothing and footwear purchased is growing rapidly each year, but world practice shows that, on average, only 20% of textiles are reused or recycled, while the rest most likely ends up in landfills or is incinerated. Participating in a charity campaign and handing over used textiles offers a wonderful opportunity not only to help those in need, but also to reduce environmental pollution.

 “In European wardrobes, about 30% of clothes stand unused. We buy them and don't put them on or put them on only a few times. But for someone else, these clothes can be very useful. That is why we are also inviting people to, first, carefully reflect on our consumption habits and to avoid impulsive purchases and, secondly, to hand over unnecessary but good clothes to someone else for use rather than throw them away. Furthermore, this applies also to a variety of other household items, from a soccer ball to a school bag. At the same time, when donating something that is unnecessary to oneself, we must carefully consider the quality of these things, so that they are really reusable and in good condition to the delight the new user,” invites the director of “Latvijas Zaļais punkts” Kaspars Zakulis.

Although the preparation for the new school year is an exciting and exhilarating time that thousands of pupils throughout Latvia are waiting, it also demands considerable financial resources. How big of an investment should parents account for? “This year, many, many students in Latvia are waiting for 1 September more than ever before — the long remote learning has had an effect. And, at the same time, exactly this year the approach of September is a cause of worry for many — for those who have had lower income or have lost their job due to the consequences of the pandemic. However, all of us know that a child starting school creates considerable expenses — sometimes even more than 50-100 EUR per child. That is the reason why I so highly value this charity campaign. People are willing to help each other if they are asked to help and if there is someone who takes care of the organizational responsibilities,” says Inga Akmentiņa-Smildziņa, the head of Latvia’s parents’ organization “Mammamuntetiem.lv”.

The charity campaign “Let's help prepare for school together!” takes place from 18 August to 6 September. Residents are invited to place their donations in the donation boxes located next to the entrance B of the shopping and entertainment centre “Akropole”.