2025-09-08
Donations of the “Let’s Help Prepare for School Together” campaign helped more than 200 children begin their school year
Until 29 August, everyone can still help low-income families in Latvia and Ukrainian refugee families by filling children’s school bags with everything they need for the new school year. The charity campaign “Let’s help prepare for school together!”, organised by Ziedot.lv and AKROPOLE shopping and entertainment centres, will enable 59 children to go to school with joy and a sense of security, but tens of families are still awaiting much-needed help.
In situations like this, when parents often have to choose between covering daily expenses and preparing their children for school, the emotional background that accompanies preparations for the new school year becomes particularly vivid. According to survey* data, almost half (46%) of households associate this time with anxiety, and women experience it more often than men – 51% of women surveyed admit that preparing for school causes them anxiety, while only 39% of men say the same. Often, it is mothers who bear the greatest burden of worry and responsibility for school supplies and who more often feel the financial pressure on the family budget. This reality is particularly painful for large families and foster families, as well as for single parents.
“This year, our family with seven children underwent major changes as we moved from the countryside to the city. This also means higher costs, as I have noticed that the requirements for preparing for school are much higher in city schools than in rural ones. This is especially important this year, as one of the children will be starting school in first form and will need a new school bag and all the necessary stationery. The new school also causes emotional stress for the children, as they are worried about how they will do in school and how they will fit into the new environment. This is why I am truly grateful to the people who donated, because their support lets my children start the new school year with joy, confidence and self-assurance,” says Elvīra, a mother of seven kids from Daugavpils.
Currently, people have left backpacks, school supplies and other school stuff in special donation boxes. However, there is a particular shortage of school and formal clothing, sports shoes, lunch boxes and refillable water bottles – items without which a child’s everyday life at school is not complete.
“School supplies are much more than just simple items – they are the foundation of a child’s daily learning and can determine the quality of the learning process. This year, several hundred children need support, so I urge everyone to stay active and use the remaining ten days to fill the donation boxes with school supplies or make a donation – in cash or by bank transfer,” emphasises Kaspars Beitiņš, CEO of SIA Akropole Latvija.
Where to donate and how
Special donation boxes with the inscription “Let’s help prepare for school together!” can be found in the shopping centres AKROPOLE Rīga and AKROPOLE Alfa. You can donate:
You can also support financially by donating via bank transfer on the Ziedot.lv website, at virtual donation booths, or in cash donation boxes. The amount of the donation is voluntary.
The charity campaign is organised by AKROPOLE shopping centres in cooperation with the charity organisation Ziedot.lv. All donated school items and funds will be donated to low-income Latvian and Ukrainian refugee families who have applied for help.
