On October 12th to 13th 2017 project partners from Latvia and Lithuania, representatives from Kurzeme region municipalities’ social services and related NGOs went on an experience exchange trip to project partners’ organisations to establish cooperation network for successful further project implementation.
On day one participants visited Klaipeda city social support centre. The head of the centre presented with detailed information on the centres’ provided services and everyday life that concerns persons with disabilities.
Further the participants went to Kretinga, where two organisations were visited. First Kretinga day care centre where elderly people spend their days in proper care. The idea of the centre is like sort of a kindergarten where the person is brought in by their family member or by the centres’ provided transport. They spend their day with similar residents, have different activities together and by the evening they are taken home to their loved ones. Great example of day care for elderly, as the participants noticed.
After that the participants went to Kretinga day activities centre, project partner organisation, where the head of the centre presented the participants with information on their organisation, participants went on a little excursion around the centre and had the opportunity to buy some of the centres residents handicraft.
Kretinga project partner had already purchased one of the projects’ items, IT programme for visually impaired persons that participants got to see.
On day two participants went to Liepaja city social support centre where they were presented with detailed presentation on Liepaja’s city social support centre provided services. The head of the centre was asked many different questions from the Lithuanian participants as the problems social workers deal with every day are very similar.
After that participants went to Liepaja city for blind where they had an excursion around the centres’ premises, visited local library where books in brail and audio materials are very demanded by persons with visual impairments. Visited different handicraft classes and purchased some of the items that are produced by blind persons which added great value to the item.
Overall Liepaja showed that it indeed is the city best adapted for visually impaired persons in Latvia and as Lithuanian partners added, Lithuania has a lot to learn from Liepaja.
After Liepaja’s’ visit the last stop was in Saldus. Project partner from Saldus offered to visit Saldus social support centre and day care centre where the participants had the opportunity to meet not only the workers but also residents. Partners participated in music class where usually visually impaired persons and persons with other disabilities learn to use different musical instruments thus improving their social skills and overall wellbeing and quality of life, because music improves mood and overall brain activity which improves health in general.
As a result all experience exchange trip participants met this project activities goal to do networking, make new contacts, were introduced to all project partner organisations and their planned project activities.
There are two more experience exchange trips planned that will take place in 2018 and 2019 in order to visit more “best practices” places in both project countries that offer social services to persons with disabilities and at the end in the last trip all involved partners and related organisations will go to each others’ premises to assess this project implemented results in infrastructure and equipment purchase.
Project aim is to promote equal attitudes towards persons with disabilities and to improve social inclusion of persons with visual impairments. It will be reached by strengthening cooperation, raising society awareness and improving competencies of specialists, improving social infrastructure and accessibility, efficiency and diversification of social services.
Project implementation if funded by European Regional Development fund, total project budget 493 044,31 EUR (incl. ERDF 419 087,65 EUR).
Project duration May 1ST 2017 – April 30th 2019.
Project manager
Laura Pakule-Krūče
Phone no. +371 26114020, laura.pakule@kurzemesregions.lv
Interreg V-A Latvia – Lithuania Programme 2014-2020www.latlit.eu
The Project description has been produced with the financial assistance of the European Union. The contents of the description are the sole responsibility of Kurzeme Planning Region and can under no circumstances be regarded as reflecting the position of the European Union
The above reflects author’s views and the Managing Authority of Latvia-Lithuania Programme is not liable for any use that may be made of the information contained there in.
