Frälsningsarmén i Latvijas Avize

I slutet av maj inbjöd vi medlemmarna i Frälsningsarméns Rådgivande Nämnd till en heldagutflykt till Skangal och Sarkani. En av medlemmarna i nämnden heter Rita Ruska och är reporter på en av Lettlands ledande dagstidningar Latvijas Avize.

Besöket resulterade i en helsida i tidningen och en introduktion på första sidan.

Här kommer en översättning till engelska av den lettiska texten:

"Translation of an article in Latvijas Avīze on June 27, 2012 “Zviedrijas īpašumā – mājvieta latviešu bērniem”
by Rita Ruska.

On a Swedish Property Home for Latvian Kids
"The Salvation Army (SA) in Sweden is an old organization with good reputation. As a Swedish ambassador in Latvia, I am proud that it is working also in Latvia and that also Latvian representatives are involved and working from heart and with great efficiency” says Ambassador of the Kingdom of Sweden Mats Staffansson, adding that his grandmother worked at the Salvation Army and was an Officer.

Last three years the SA in Latvia is led by the commanders Rut and Peter Baronowsky from Sweden. After their invitation ambassador with his mother Kaisa Staffansson  and some embassy staff visited the Skangali manor in Priekuļi region where almost 20 years ago the SA established the Children Support and Social Care Centre, but in the nearby village of Sarkani a Day centre was recently opened.

Olof  Palme’s Sunny Summers
Skangali manor was once owned by the former Swedish Prime Minister Ulof Palme mother's parents. Until the war, little Ulof together with his brother Klas and sister Katharina spent every summer there. Katarina Palme dedicated to those summers her memory book "Summers in Skangale".
After Latvia regained its independence, the Palme family renewed their rights to the manor which during the Soviet occupation was almost destroyed. At that time, the family did not how to use the property.
But flying to Riga the lawyer Klas Palme met with Mr Bertil Rodin, the SA soldier from Sweden. He said that the Salvation Army of Latvia had restored its operation in Latvia and that it was planned to establish a school where children and young people without parental care could live and learn. But this requires premises.
After this conversation, a lawyer talked to the family members and after a month Palme's family had decided to donate Skangali to the SA. Thanks to the support of Swedish organization and various funds the manor buildings were started to be restored, but the school and children's boarding house was built from scratch.

Home to 26 Children
"Here is a piece of land of Sweden," says the manager Modris Jankovskis, presenting a care centre and its territories. 18 years ago here was a school with six classes but due to a small number of pupils it was closed. Currently the centre is a home for 26 children from social risk families. These are mostly teenagers whom foster families or adoptive parents are reluctant to take, so they have a home in Skangali.

The children attend Mārsnēni school. The 9the grade boys that we met in the computer room talked with representatives of the SA in English. Daniels studied English when he visited his friend family in the US. Educator Modra Šmagre told that not only Daniels, but also other children spent some time in France or Norway where they were welcomed by local families. Last year kids from Skangali went to Norway for a summer camp. This year in July the camp will be held in Lithuania. The financing for the camp is provided by a Norwegian sponsor. 

Children in the Centre also have some chores to do. They are not only studying, but also helping in the household one hour after school – to weed the garden or clear the yard or take care of the green house.

Barack Becomes a Day Centre

A few kilometres from the Skangali Manors there is Sarkani village. The Soviet Union army soldiers used to live here. When the army left, the remaining building gradually deteriorated. The SA bought one of the buildings and renovated it, basically rebuilt it. Now there is a Day centre that is actively used by 18 children and approximately 10 out of 70 adults living in the village.

Ilona and Dmitrijs Konovalovi are working in the Day centre. They are young people from Daugavpils but they met in Riga during their studies. Ilona wanted to become a nurse, but Dmitrijs – a computer specialist. However, at one point both of them understood that they want to do something different in their lives and connected their lives with the SA - the same as Dmitrijs parents did. Young couple graduated the Latvian Bible Institute and this year from cadets they will be ordained as officers.

Meetings both for children and adults are held in the Day centre. This is the place where children like to come back right from school. Here they are doing their home-works, playing table games, learning how to cook simple meals. People in the village have a chance to come to a soup kitchen twice a week, but children can have some sandwiches and tea every time they are here. Here is also a small library, and this summer a football field will be made here. Finances for that are already available.

Ilona and Dmitrijs says that children in Sarkaņi see in the Day Centre that it is possible to live differently – rooms are neatly renovated, kitchen has all appliances, there is clean water. There is a washing machine where to wash laundry and a shower. Here people can also receive clothes and shoes from humanitarian aid.

Inspire to Start a New Life

Life conditions in the village are not bright. There is no central heating in the apartments, there is no hot water, and some do not even have cold water. Apartments have not been renovated for many years and people live without work and in poverty that results in alcohol abuse and crimes. “In these surrounding, the Day centre is like a bright island. We are happy that we can show a different way of life,” says Ilona. She has seen that people are changing, they start to take care of themselves, to look after their clothes, especially when they are coming to our meetings. “We are worried about the youth who smoke, drink, do time in prison. But a few days ago, one guy was released from prison and came to use and he wanted to know if he would be allowed to use the Day centre’s washing machine and shower because he did not have any of that himself. He left an impression that he wants to start a new life,” says Ilona. “We can build not only building, but also people,” that is how commander Rut Baronowsky is describing the project.

For Information

The Salvation Army is an international movement that is working in more than 120 countries. It was established by a priest William Both in London in 1865 when he saw people in need in London’s slum regions, people whom official Church did not accept. W.Booth established a Christian mission that was proclaiming the Gospel and materially supporting people. In 1878 it is was renamed as The Salvation Army.

The SA was founded in Latvia in 1923. In early 90s organization regained its property on Bruninieku street 10a where they have their headquarters now. There are six SA corps and five social institutions in Latvia. More than 1700 people receive help every week.

Opinions

Lauris Žubulis, lawyer, co-owner of a law firm: “During school years I went to Sweden as an exchange student and there I studied Swedish therefore for 15 years I have been involved in the SA work as a translator and sometimes as a legal advisor. I see how significant is the work they are doing. It is great that the SA is trying to adapt to requirements of a modern world and is trying to make it more updated and understandable to modern society.”

Elita Rancāne, leader of the social department in Priekuli region: “The Salvation Army did not only established a social care centre for children who are left without parental care, but also they are helping people with food parcels, soup kitchen, clothes, as well as spiritual support that is very needed nowadays. Their work is a huge gain for people of the region."