During the quarantine, a number of families under the care of the "Save the Children" organization found themselves in an emergency situation. Responding to the request, the International Support Fund "The Western Union Foundation Lithuania" will help take care of the well-being of 33 such families.
"Save the Children" supports 50 day care centers throughout Lithuania, which are attended by over 1000 children. After the quarantine, all these centers were closed, and "Save the Children" staff continue to work with parents, providing psychological and social support. Families are under strain as parents lose their jobs, putting them in even more difficult situations. Additional challenges also arise for those 20% of Lithuanian children who live with only one parent.
"There are not many business organizations in Lithuania that, without waiting for any requests, contacted themselves and offered help when the crisis started," says Rasa Dičpetrienė, head of "Save the Children". According to her, "Western Union Foundation Lithuania" is one of the most loyal supporters. Communication between the organizations began when the division in Lithuania had not yet been established. "We have been working together for more than eight years. Their involvement and ability to mobilize employees for volunteering is the best example of how companies contribute to making us live in a better society."
Sergej Sidorov, president of the Western Union Foundation Lithuania Support Fund in Lithuania, says that the goal of the company's social initiatives is to give children the opportunity to get an education. Today's situation is extreme for families under the care of the organization "Save the Children" - parents lose their jobs, along with the income intended to support the family, their emotional state deteriorates. There was simply a need to ensure families' food needs, so we offered our help to long-term partners." According to the president of the foundation, the company's strategy is long-term cooperation with selected non-governmental sector partners. In his opinion, this is the only way to achieve a significant impact.
The crisis hit the most vulnerable first
Rasa Dičpetrienė, head of "Save the Children", says that the situation in the regions is even worse than in the capital. "One mother, raising five children, worked as a saleswoman. The store closed and the woman lost her job. The family has enough money for food for two weeks, they don't know what to do next - it's hard to hope that jobs will appear in the near future. Without help, such families simply would not survive. In another family with four children, both parents worked, but just before the quarantine, the father had a stroke and the mother had to leave work to take care of the patient. It is difficult for this family to survive without help at the moment." The head of the organization emphasizes that such stories as these are the everyday life of smaller cities and towns in Lithuania, so these families are in great need of help.
