The warmest colors in these photos were those of hand-made quilts neatly folded on each bed. Quilts brighten the only private space these children have. Imagine the joy of our partners in Latvia when they open boxes containing hard to buy items like soap, toothpaste and washcloths. So you can understand how dear a warm, colorful quilt is to anyone in Latvia-even if they have two incomes. It was estimated that 2,300 Latvian children would not attend school during the 1998-99 school year, because of lack of money for school supplies.
Unemployment is high and many lack both money and clothing to go to school.
Statistics show that 68 percent of the people in Latvia are low-income, with 21 percent in a critical situation. The response from Latvian children is heartwarming. The list is long. The need is overwhelming. Some people may believe that when walls came down in Eastern Europe during the early 1990's the struggle was over.