Zelsirdibas Misija Dzivibas Ediens (Latvia)
Zelsirdibas Misija Dzivibas Ediens (ZMDE) is non-profit organization, whose goal is social assistance for socially underprivileged groups in Latvia and at wider European and international scale. Our emphasis is educating people in the area of social work, both as organizers as well as recipients of assistance. As key instrument of social change we see the propagation of healthy lifestyles and nutritious eco-friendly diet through various educational programs.
The charity branch of ZMDE is organizing daily free food distribution in several locations in Latvia already since 1989. By 2014 we have distributed over 3.8 million nutritious hot meals in Latvia through our “soup kitchens”, which actually are distributing meals based on different porridges, vegetables, fruit, sauces and dairy products. Daily we are distributing more than 400 healthy nutritious lunches for socially underprivileged and regarding number of distributed meals our organization has become the largest charity in Latvia.
ZMDE has also Youth volunteering club with 36 volunteers that meet regularly every week to help with our various activities. This year we received EVS accreditation and can host 2 young foreign volunteers and send 5 of our young volunteers abroad.
We are host entrepreneurs for “Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs”. Our Social Entrepreneurship Group has been active in developing international contacts in Europe and Asia with goal of finding and importing nutritious ingredients in order to find and import the most nutritious and at the same time affordable ingredients from various parts of the world. We are getting basmati rice directly from India, lentils from Turkey and Ukraine, grains and spices from Germany and establishing contacts with Sri Lanka, Malaysia, the United States etc.
In order to develop professional skills of our young workers (social entrepreneurs) as well as to support our food distribution centres we have created “Health Veg Supermarket” – food store with international and various local suppliers in which we are trying to implement Fair Trade guidelines.
We are cooperating with European Social Fund, through Latvian Employment Agency and Welfare department of Riga City Council. European Social Fund is providing temporary employment in social work and professional training to long-term unemployed persons. Since 2009, we have employed 25 socially marginalized people (50% of them were younger than 30 years) through this project (1DP/1.5.2.2.2/10/APIA/SIF/172). Members of our youth groups and their leaders, through personal interaction and education are trying to change lifestyle habits of newly employed people which would restore them as active and productive members of society.
For last six years we have been working in cooperation with Welfare Department of Riga City Council and each year we are receiving from them a funding (17.000€ to 25.000€ per year) for buying food for our distribution centres.
Biggest corporate sponsor in Latvia, “Teterev’s Fund” has been supporting us for several year, both for buying food as well as for upgrading infrastructure of the kitchen (gas oven for 7.300€ in 2012 and gas stove for 3.200€ in 2013). We are also getting monthly support from major businesses in country (“Rimi” biggest chain of supermarkets, “Rigas Dzirnavnieks” major cereals producer, “Hansas Maiznieks” biggest bakery in Riga) as well as numerous private sponsors.
On Saturday mornings there is a special meal distribution program for families with many children and every Saturday afternoon in cooperation with Welfare Department of Riga City Council our van and youth volunteers go to distribute free meals and to interact with socially underprivileged in the biggest Day Care centre of city of Riga. Every Sunday for last four years in our main distribution centre in Riga, K. Barona Street 56, ZMDE is distributing for poor families free aid packages, provided by European Union and managed by Riga City council.
Thus ZMDE is giving both direct practical support for socially underprivileged youth, families, minorities, as well as coaching, training and psychological support. Our activities include organizing healthy lifestyle and diet education programs, education in social work, with putting great emphasis on participation of youth in practical work helping people with fewer opportunities.
Zelsirdibas Misija Dzivibas Ediens
Latvia
Our organization’s mission is to become a member in a strong global network of youth organisations active in areas of volunteering, social entrepreneurship and healthy lifestyles. The project participants from our organisation will be given a chance to share their knowledge and expertise in thematic fields of this project and to find solutions for engagement of unemployed young people in the educational and entrepreneurial activities of ZMDE. We believe that increased international cooperation will foster the long term cooperation among partners and will result in many new projects in field of the Erasmus Plus Program.