Charity festival seeks funds to save Sigulda’s Hope House

Organisers are collecting donations at the Kalniešu spēles charity festival in Sigulda to help the Cerību māja home for young people with intellectual disabilities remain in operation, Latvian Radio reports.

The festival is being held for the 10th time on Saturday as part of the Mājām būt fundraising campaign. Cerību māja in Sigulda Municipality has been the only home for 14 young people with intellectual disabilities for the past 10 years.

The organisation Cerību spārni needs to raise a total of 250,000 euros to buy the property from its owners, who live abroad. More than half has already been collected, but 110,000 euros is still needed.

The owners offered the property to Cerību spārni 10 years ago on the condition that the organisation establish a social service there. They said the house would be donated if the service proved successful. Three years ago, however, the owners changed the arrangement and offered to sell the property instead.

“Over three years, with the support and help of compassionate people, we have collected 140,000 euros. Another 110,000 euros remains, which we must raise by the end of next year so that the people who live here can keep their home,” Eva Viļķina, head of Cerību spārni, said.

The uncertainty about the future is particularly troubling for the residents, said Irma Kiršteina, head of Cerību māja. She said changes are very difficult for people with intellectual disabilities and that the threat of moving to another home would be deeply traumatic.

For many of the young people living at Cerību māja, it is their only home, as they have no parents, Kiršteina said. She added that many of their life stories are very difficult.