During 2020 the Pink Train Foundation has continued to provide support for women in Latvia diagnosed with breast cancer, covering the costs of counselling following diagnosis and during treatment and/or physiotherapy. This year also saw the launch of a new breast health awareness campaign, which recently received GOLD in the category of online advertising at the Baltic Best 2020 awards. Due to Covid-19 imposed restrictions the number of breast cancer patients the Foundation has helped so far this year has dropped slightly, but in general the number of women applying for help is on the rise. The Foundation will welcome any support, particularly financial.

The Care Mobile, who suspended its operations during the lockdown, is working at the full capacity again and has already made 67 visits and provided 2460 medical consultations to children in need. Currently, the Care Mobile in cooperation with Rimi Baltija is holding a charity campaign with donation boxes being distributed in all Rimi Hypermarkets. The Care Mobile brings specialists from the Children's Clinical University Hospital to children, especially, in rural areas where they lack access to primary medical care. The Care Mobile's mission is to get doctors near children's homes to provide free medical consultations and improve the health of children.

BEZVESTS.LV, the only volunteer organization providing missing persons search in Latvia since 2009, is looking for donations for search operations and volunteers' education. Despite the complicated situation, they have organized around 35 search operations this year, and are looking to do some more. Currently BEZVESTS.LV is looking for a special underwater sonar equipment that would help find human remains in water. The sonar equipment successfully used in underwater search operations before is not always available, therefore either in-kind or financial support to obtain this much needed equipment will be appreciated.

The Latvian Foster Family Association , who takes regular care of more than 200 families raising 356 children in different regions of Latvia, is looking for donations to organize a trip to a museum or facilitate an outdoor activity for foster families during this autumn.

SOS Children's Villages Latvia is grateful to many supporters, including AmCham members Bite Latvija, Radisson Blu Elizabete Hotel, Radisson Blu Latvia Conference & Spa Hotel and all other friendly companies who found a way to make kids happy when starting their new school year. SOS Children's' Villages would be thankful to receive any monetary donation in the future. You can also consider becoming a regular supporter of SOS children.

On September 15, Swedbank launched a co-creation space "Startup House" at TechHub Riga premises. It is the second co-creation office Swedbank has opened for startups where innovative ideas, enterprising people and new technologies connect with experience and access to international markets.

Over the past decade, the American educational organization Khan Academy has transformed how millions of students perceive and approach math. Believing in the crucial role of math in the development of ICT leaders, the IT Education Foundation in Latvia has recently begun the adoption of a demo version of Khan Academy in Latvian. The foundation is now looking for companies who share their belief and would be ready to invest in this education project.

During these turbulent times Novartis Baltics has given back to society by providing regular delivery of warm food to the Center of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases as well as by helping organize summer camps for children and Children's Foundation of Latvia.

Continuing the success of Growth Program, SEB bank welcomes applications from companies dedicated to business improvement. This time the program will take place virtually and participation in the program is free of charge. The purpose of the program is to prepare small and medium-sized (SME) companies for rapid growth through digital technologies and innovations. During three months, local and international experts and mentors help companies identify new business opportunities, create and test new business models and prepare a six-month action plan to reach their goals. SMEs are invited to apply by September 25, 2020.

This summer Microsoft launched an initiative to help 25 million people worldwide acquire the digital skills needed in a COVID-19 economy. This initiative will bring together every part of their company, combining existing and new resources from LinkedIn, GitHub, and Microsoft. It will be grounded in 3 areas of activity: the use of data to identify in-demand jobs and the skills, free access to learning paths and content to help people develop the skills and low-cost certifications and free job-seeking tools to help people.

The following members have been recognized by the Sustainability Index 2020: SEB Banka and Swedbank achieved Platinum, RISEBA - Silver, Cognizant and Latvia Tours - Bronze. This year, SEB bank received the highest total rating in its participation history - 96.4%. The Institute for Corporate Sustainability and Responsibility has been evaluating corporate sustainability and responsibility of companies in Latvia for the 11th year. The Sustainability Index evaluates company's real activity and openness to communicate with different stakeholders.

September 2020

During times of uncertainty, many charities are feeling unsecure. The pandemic has reduced the pace, slowing down the economy, and dramatically increased the needs of various groups and non-profits catering for social causes.

Our supported charities, witnessing significant drops in donations, are asking for your help. Here are some of the causes: sonar equipment to find missing people, free medical consultations for children, counselling for breast cancer patients, a trip to a museum or outdoor activity for foster kids.

As a strong advocate of Corporate Social Responsibility, AmCham compiles a semi-annual report highlighting our member CSR news and best practices. Share your story with the rest of us and help make the world a better place.

We support BEZVESTS.LV

We support Latvian Foster Families

We support Pink Train Foundation

We support RMHC Latvija & the Care Mobile

We support SOS Children's Villages in Latvia