The Finance and Administration Affairs Committee of the Riga City Council decided to support the implementation of the project “Support for displaced persons from Ukraine in Latvia and Riga”. For the implementation of the project, EUR 500 000 has been allocated to the Riga municipality from the funds of the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund directly administered by the European Commission. The committee also decided to allocate EUR 96 000 to the reception of Ukrainian children and young people from Chernihiv district in Riga in September of this year.
More than 22 000 Ukrainian civilians have arrived and registered in Riga since the Russian military invasion of Ukraine. The largest proportion of Ukrainian civilians arriving in Riga initially planned to be in Latvia on a temporary basis, expecting the end of the military conflict. At the moment, however, Ukrainians who have found asylum in Latvia are no longer planning to return to Ukraine in the near future.
The project “Support for displaced persons from Ukraine in Latvia and Riga” will be implemented to provide not only the primary assistance needed, but also to ensure successful integration into society and the labour market.
In the course of the implementation of the project, it is intended to provide an interest educational offer to children of Ukrainian civilians in the summer of next year in order to provide psychological support to children, improve Latvian knowledge and prepare children for the Latvian education system. Similar support would be needed for children's parents and other adults from Ukraine to ensure their social inclusion in society and to improve opportunities for integration and interaction with local inhabitant. In order to ensure effective and targeted support for Ukrainian civilians, an in-depth study on their social profile is envisaged, with a particular focus on socially vulnerable groups.
The Riga municipality will organise a visit to Riga for 100 children and young people from Chernihiv district in Ukraine in September of this year, in response to the invitation of the Ukrainian embassy. The purpose of the visit will be to give children whose parents are involved in protecting Ukraine the opportunity to regain their strength and strengthen their health by participating in educational and entertaining activities. It is expected that 100 children will be able to spend 10 days with 12 accompanying educators in Riga. The municipality will allocate EUR 96 000 for this purpose.
By 26 June, 22 285 inhabitants of Ukraine have been registered in the Riga Support Centre, of which 18402 currently live in Riga. Still, the Riga municipality provides state-paid accommodation for 466 persons. An average of 430 clients per day are served at the Support Center, with approximately 1720 people being served within a week.
Information was prepared by: Edīte Matuseviča, Project Coordinator at External Communication Division of Riga City Council Communication Department, e-mail: edite.matusevica@riga.lv