Family meet-up festival 2020
The Salidojums 2020 family meet-up festival will take place at the Valmoniras farm on 23 August 2020, to let all family members, mums and dads, brothers and sisters, grandmothers and grandfathers, feel free and joyful, to draw inspiration and strength.
For more than 20 years, the Children’s Palliative Care Society has been providing assistance to seriously ill children and members of their families. A non-governmental organisation, the Children’s Palliative Care Society handles matters associated with the availability of children’s palliative care in the entirety of Latvia. The society has developed a model of children’s palliative care provided by an interdisciplinary team that has a physician, a nurse, a chaplain, a social worker and a therapist. There is such a team at the Children’s Clinical University Hospital, which provides palliative care at home and out-patient palliative care service.
‘Long-term care for a child with a life-limiting disease is a difficult, emotionally taxing time for the child’s family. One of the the main goals of children’s palliative care is providing the members of the ill child’s family with psychosocial and spiritual support during the illness. It is not just the seriously ill child that needs its parents’ love, attention and care, its siblings need all of this, too. Parents supported by the Children’s Palliative Care Society say that the events that the society organises are often the only times during the year that they can leave their home and devote some time to themselves,’ Anda Jansone, chairwoman of the Children’s Palliative Care Society, said.
The Salidojums 2020 family meet-up festival has got much attention, with many families and supporters signing up, and the number of participants reaching 140 people. During the event, the families will be enchanted by the Dantes Pecolli magic show and learn how to make magic themselves, join a kite master class with Dmitrijs Gormaļovs, try Antigravity air yoga with Annika Andersone, participate in a spontaneous art workshop with Maruta Linuža; with Zane and Sarmīte, children will get the chance to feel the structure of paints with their fingers and let their emotions flow as they paint, to pet and treat Silkie chickens and goats at the farm, while their dads will be able to exercise and discuss men’s health with Helmuts Bēķis from the Movember Latvija foundation, and the weightlifter Dainis Zāģeris (Dodieksa movement initiative). The youngest children will discover the Lil HOUSE educational toy house, and the Mopitri convertible Pikler triangle by Ette Tete.
‘Everything that takes place as this festival is becoming reality is because of the support of many wonderful people. We appreciate the good work of every person who have pledged their support with their talents. We would like to sincerely thank Kārlis Blumfelds for helping us with the music for the event, Rimi Baltic for the meals we will put on the table, Lido for its desserts, Kreder Factory for preparing the little gifts, www.pupumaiss.lv, www.arglazuru.lv, Ludmila (@behindthedoors.riga), Eži active tourism centre and event agency, and www.eventrent.lv for bringing us joy and creating the look of the event, and huge thanks for the owners of the event’s venue, Valmonira farm—Ingvars Bite and Ingus Fjodorovs—for their genuinely open and friendly attitude that has made this beautiful festival possible. We are convinced that everyone is entitled to living a full, happy life, regardless of the limitations created by illnesses, that our feelings and actions can create inclusive social attitudes, real opportunities and the support that these family so sorely need. Our supporters encourage us to continue with what we’ve started, and we believe that with such assistance by other people, we will also be able to build the “Sapņu tilti” multifunctional children’s palliative care centre,’ Linda Zarovska, Children’s Palliative Care Society communication specialist.
