Summer camp in Latvia - New Hope Children's Fund gives hope

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Voluntary co-operation with New Hope Children's Fund

We visited a summer camp for children in Latvia and met Nikolaj, who is passionate about helping children from difficult circumstances. At the camp, children can experience nature, participate in fun activities, make new friends, and feel that someone cares about them. Three weeks of camp each summer are funded by the New Hope Children's Fund.

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Voluntary co-operation with New Hope Children's Fund

The trip to Daugavpils in Latvia was different from anything else this summer. We are travelling around Estonia to experience the country by motorhome, and to write about sights, beaches and nature experiences.

When we were asked by New Hope Children's Fund to visit and write about a summer camp for poor children in Latvia, we looked at the map and realised that the location was quite far from our planned route. After thinking about it, we decided to accept. This simply sounded too important not to write about.

Meeting with an enthusiast

We left Estonia after breakfast and arrived in Daugavpils in southern Latvia in the early afternoon. Here we were met by Nikolaj Shevchuk, who, together with his wife and other volunteers, runs holiday camps and other aid activities for the poor and socially excluded in the area.

Nikolaj himself moved to Sweden from Belarus many years ago, but has chosen to spend most of his time in Daugavpils, as this is where he feels he can make a difference and help others.

Daugavpils - Latvia's second largest city

Nikolaj invited us to lunch and told us about the situation in the city. Daugavpils is Latvia's second largest city, but its population is declining. A few decades ago, around 120 000 people lived here, but now the number has dropped to around 85 000. There are no jobs and no faith in the future, and young people are looking for happiness in the West.

There are no big businesses in Daugavpils, and most people live on low wages, social benefits or pensions, perhaps sometimes with supplements from relatives in the West. The city is in Latvia, but most people here speak Russian, and it is Russian that we hear when we walk around the city centre.

How are the children?

Many children in the Daugavpils area live in poverty. Parents may have travelled to the West and left their children with grandparents, who are forced to support their grandchildren on their meagre pensions. Others live with parents or relatives who are alcoholics or have other social problems.

Nikolaj and the other enthusiasts not only work with the camp, but also cooperate with social services to help families who are struggling in different ways. For example, Nikolaj told me about a family that was sheltering in one end of the room because the rain was coming through the roof at the other end. They were able to help this family get a better place to live.

Nikolaj's project

If you wait to start a project until you know how the project will be financed, it may never happen at all, says Nikolaj. His philosophy is that regardless of the conditions, you have to start and work towards the goal, and with God's providence the problems will solve themselves along the way.

But how do you start a huge camp for hundreds of children, with natural areas, accommodation, activities and service staff when you have neither land to build on nor a budget?

Nikolai did not let these mundane things stop him, but worked tirelessly towards the goal, confident that the problems would be solved along the way. Today, the summer camp is located in beautiful nature by a lake, just outside Daugavpils, and we went there with Nikolai to have a look.

Latgales Dzintars Christan Camp

With the help of external funding, a natural area was purchased. Initially, there were no houses on the site, but the future colony was donated large military tents, which enabled it to start operations.

Later, the Norwegian school KVS-Bygland offered to build one or two cottages per year free of charge, and every year they send students to build the cottages as a project. Some of the cottages have been funded by other companies, and these have been named after the houses.

Most of the people involved in the summer camp activities are volunteers. To manage the large area, staff are needed all year round, and they receive free accommodation in the area and free food. Some of those who have been offered jobs and accommodation at the camp are people who have had problems themselves, and in this way have found their way back to a better life.

Summer camp for poor children - with the help of the New Hope Children's Fund

For one week during the summer holidays, children who are struggling financially at home can get the chance to go to a summer camp. The New Hope Children's Fund funds three weeks each summer at the camp, with around 100 children per week, for children who are unable to pay themselves.

For the remaining weeks of the summer, the school premises are borrowed from other organisations, and children come from both Lithuania and Belarus. There are also plans to organise special weeks for children with disabilities.

At the camp, children can experience joy, play and joint activities for a week, without having to think about worries or problems. Nikolaj said that many of the children come from environments with a lot of swearing and adults who are constantly fighting. The week at the camp is also an opportunity to meet other adults and see that life can be different.

Constant challenges

Nikolaj says that the solutions usually come by themselves, but he also faces constant challenges. Now they have new nice cottages, and they have also received help to finance a house where the workers can live with their families. The next project that needs funding is a service centre with toilets and showers.

Nikolaj also told us that they lack activities for children. The big swing to the left of the big tent was popular, but it no longer works. The attractions wear out when used by hundreds of children every week. Nikolaj usually photographs exciting attractions when he sees them in Western Europe, and dreams of developing the camp with even more opportunities for play and adventure.

Hospitality at Latgales Dzintars Christian Camp

We felt extremely welcome at the summer school and experienced a warm and friendly atmosphere. Both those who were good at English - and those who were not - wanted to talk, give us a hug or offer us food. We had both dinner here in the evening, and breakfast the next morning. We slept in our motorhome, overlooking the beautiful lake.

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