Source of Funding: EEA Financial Mechanism 2009-2014
Program: NGO Project Measure (2009-2014)
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The goal of the project is to improve the life quality of the people who are exposed to long-term social exclusion risk - low-income families with children and persons with disabilities - by using natural resources as a tool to improve the living standards.
Within the project it is planned to improve welfare of low-income families with children and retired people residing in rural areas, as well as access to natural resources to persons with disabilities, to set up a sustainable information and demonstration centre for natural resources, improving the quality of social life and economic growth in the local community.
Garden and harvest sessions, arrangement of support gardens and preservation of harvest, creation of medicinal plant gardens, nature workshops and demonstrations of medicinal plants and protected plants will be ensured to low-income families within the scope of the project.
Target group: children, families with children, persons with disabilities and low-income retired people.
Project results: The general aim of the Project was „To improve the life quality for the social groups having a risk of being disadvantaged for a long time – low income families with children and people with disabilities - by means of using natural resources and their accessability”.
By implementing this project we wished both to improve the life quality for the socially disadvantaged groups of people living in Jekabpils novads and to create more varied and attractive long-term examples how natural resources can be applied in their daily life.
All the Project aims have been achieved. Moreover, in several cases the Project impact has surpassed the initially planned one proving that the present idea – applying natural resources as an instrument for raising the life quality in rural areas – is essential and proper under the existing circumstances.
The Project results are as follow:
1. 36 people have taken part in 8 theoretical „Garden sessions” for families with a low income.
2. As a result of 6 workshops now 6 families have got well designed gardens and yards.
3. 20 families involved in the Project have taken part in trips. In 2015 2 additional families were involved in the project.
4. 8 workshops on the ways of storing the harvest were organized with 12 participants in each of them. The kitchen and its acquipment were accessible for processing the harvest with an active involvement of volunteers.
5. Some practical support with making food supplies for winter was given to 36 families.
6. 8 farmer families took part in donating vegetables for the Project families.
7. Gardens of medical herbs were arranged in 3 public places - in the villages of Liepas, Mezgale and Dignaja. The gardens were supplemented with sketches of their further development. The gardens are accessible to the following Project target groups – 12 families with a low income with 35 children totally, 22 retired people with a low income, inhabitants undergoing rehabilitation after cancer.
8. 5 workshops were devoted to the topic of arranging a garden with the total number of 55 people taking part in them.
9. A model plantation was set up in the management Office of Riga North District, which is accessible to the people with disabilities and other visitors of the Office. The members of the NGO „Aizvējš” are regular viewers of the plantation – on average 70 people with disabilities. A new innovative kind of social service has been created in the territory of Riga.
10. 8 activities were carried out on the ways of raising the accessibility of natural resources to the people with disabilities with the average participation of 70 people.
11. 2 outdoor trips into the nature were organized for 30 people with disabilities.
12. 3 nature workshops were arranged – 1 day long each and 30 people with disabilities taking part.
13. The sustainability of the activities was ensured by arranging 5 meetings in the office of the NGO „Aizvējš” with 30 participants on average.
14. 34 Nature workshops were arranged for the local familities with a low income – each workshop being 6 hours long and having 15 participants on average.
15. 45 adult members from families with a low income have acquired new skills in applying their local resources.
16. 5 representatives of the target group got a possibility to share their knowledge and skills thus raising their selfesteem and the social status in the eyes of the local community.
17. 3 nature workshops were arranged for the shildren coming from families with a low income – each workshop being 5 days long and having 25 children. Totally 42 children havebeen involved. At the end of each workshop there was an exhibition and some public event.
18. A display garden of medical herbs was set up covering an area of 0.2 ha.
19. While setting up the display garden, cooperation was formed among non-governmentalorganizations, state institutions and local self-governments, as well as a system of voluntary work to ensure a proper maintainance of the garden.
20. A new innovative kind of social service was created for groups of disadvantaged people – a possibility to obtain seeds and plants for free.
21. An exposition of medical herbs and protected plants was arranged having a high esthetic and cognitive value. The exposition contains information on 60 medical herbs and 30 plants under protection, thus forming a regional level information basis.
22. The exposition is accessible to carry out activities for local and distant organizations, educational establishments and self-governments on environmental, social and health issues.
23. An informative booklet „Nature and Thought. Jumis.” was compiled and published in 1000 copies.
24. 3 models of nature material souvenirs were designed with a suitable packing design. The souvenirs are distributed together with the booklet.
The Project results will be successfully maintained thanks to the cooperation of the applicant organization with the Project partner organizations and the local self-governments. As to the long-term Project results – the set up a garden of medical herbs and plants under protection, as well as the exposition of these plants in the premises of the Meadow museum - the financial sustainability aspects can be estimated as fully ensured ones, as long as the rental costs are low and the local government has promised to cover a part of the household management costs. It is noteworthy that in the beginning of 2015 the organization signed an agreement on Function delegation with the local government including the obligation on the part of the local government to ensure a partial coverage of the organization`s household management costs thus considerably diminishing its financial burdain. The display of the Project products, the development and maintainance of the exposition have been included into the organization`s plans for working out further project applications. In case they do not get approved, the maintainance of the Project products will be secured by applying the organization`s voluntary work system and the income from its business activities. The set up plantations in the partner organizations are being kept up in the the following way: in the village of Liepas – by NGO „Pupols” and Zasa self-government; in the village of Mezgale – by Leimani self government; in the village of Dignaja – by NGO „Dzivibas koks”. The model plantation in the management Office of Riga North District is taken care of by NGO „Aizvejs”. The results achieved in the field of human resources within Activity 2 and 4 are maintained by NGO „Udenszimes” („Watermarks”) in cooperation with the Social department of Jekabpils novads self-government and Rubeni Primary school. The Social department is responsible for supporting activities for the families to help in maintainaning their set up gardens. The NGO ensures the sustainability of the „Harvest session”. In cooperation with the primary school, the NGO organizes out-of-class activities with the children with an aim to practise getting financal support. The Project target group – socially disadvantaged people – are of vital importance in maintaining the Project results. It is they who take an active part in the system of voluntary work ensuring their involved in the process of maintaining and developing the Project results. This factor can be noted as the most essential benifit of the target group – the people have acquired new skills and knowledge, new employment chances, new ways of taking part in the development of the local area and its economical growth.
Within the project it is planned to improve welfare of low-income families with children and retired people residing in rural areas, as well as access to natural resources to persons with disabilities, to set up a sustainable information and demonstration centre for natural resources, improving the quality of social life and economic growth in the local community.
Garden and harvest sessions, arrangement of support gardens and preservation of harvest, creation of medicinal plant gardens, nature workshops and demonstrations of medicinal plants and protected plants will be ensured to low-income families within the scope of the project.
Target group: children, families with children, persons with disabilities and low-income retired people.
Project results: The general aim of the Project was „To improve the life quality for the social groups having a risk of being disadvantaged for a long time – low income families with children and people with disabilities - by means of using natural resources and their accessability”.
By implementing this project we wished both to improve the life quality for the socially disadvantaged groups of people living in Jekabpils novads and to create more varied and attractive long-term examples how natural resources can be applied in their daily life.
All the Project aims have been achieved. Moreover, in several cases the Project impact has surpassed the initially planned one proving that the present idea – applying natural resources as an instrument for raising the life quality in rural areas – is essential and proper under the existing circumstances.
The Project results are as follow:
1. 36 people have taken part in 8 theoretical „Garden sessions” for families with a low income.
2. As a result of 6 workshops now 6 families have got well designed gardens and yards.
3. 20 families involved in the Project have taken part in trips. In 2015 2 additional families were involved in the project.
4. 8 workshops on the ways of storing the harvest were organized with 12 participants in each of them. The kitchen and its acquipment were accessible for processing the harvest with an active involvement of volunteers.
5. Some practical support with making food supplies for winter was given to 36 families.
6. 8 farmer families took part in donating vegetables for the Project families.
7. Gardens of medical herbs were arranged in 3 public places - in the villages of Liepas, Mezgale and Dignaja. The gardens were supplemented with sketches of their further development. The gardens are accessible to the following Project target groups – 12 families with a low income with 35 children totally, 22 retired people with a low income, inhabitants undergoing rehabilitation after cancer.
8. 5 workshops were devoted to the topic of arranging a garden with the total number of 55 people taking part in them.
9. A model plantation was set up in the management Office of Riga North District, which is accessible to the people with disabilities and other visitors of the Office. The members of the NGO „Aizvējš” are regular viewers of the plantation – on average 70 people with disabilities. A new innovative kind of social service has been created in the territory of Riga.
10. 8 activities were carried out on the ways of raising the accessibility of natural resources to the people with disabilities with the average participation of 70 people.
11. 2 outdoor trips into the nature were organized for 30 people with disabilities.
12. 3 nature workshops were arranged – 1 day long each and 30 people with disabilities taking part.
13. The sustainability of the activities was ensured by arranging 5 meetings in the office of the NGO „Aizvējš” with 30 participants on average.
14. 34 Nature workshops were arranged for the local familities with a low income – each workshop being 6 hours long and having 15 participants on average.
15. 45 adult members from families with a low income have acquired new skills in applying their local resources.
16. 5 representatives of the target group got a possibility to share their knowledge and skills thus raising their selfesteem and the social status in the eyes of the local community.
17. 3 nature workshops were arranged for the shildren coming from families with a low income – each workshop being 5 days long and having 25 children. Totally 42 children havebeen involved. At the end of each workshop there was an exhibition and some public event.
18. A display garden of medical herbs was set up covering an area of 0.2 ha.
19. While setting up the display garden, cooperation was formed among non-governmentalorganizations, state institutions and local self-governments, as well as a system of voluntary work to ensure a proper maintainance of the garden.
20. A new innovative kind of social service was created for groups of disadvantaged people – a possibility to obtain seeds and plants for free.
21. An exposition of medical herbs and protected plants was arranged having a high esthetic and cognitive value. The exposition contains information on 60 medical herbs and 30 plants under protection, thus forming a regional level information basis.
22. The exposition is accessible to carry out activities for local and distant organizations, educational establishments and self-governments on environmental, social and health issues.
23. An informative booklet „Nature and Thought. Jumis.” was compiled and published in 1000 copies.
24. 3 models of nature material souvenirs were designed with a suitable packing design. The souvenirs are distributed together with the booklet.
The Project results will be successfully maintained thanks to the cooperation of the applicant organization with the Project partner organizations and the local self-governments. As to the long-term Project results – the set up a garden of medical herbs and plants under protection, as well as the exposition of these plants in the premises of the Meadow museum - the financial sustainability aspects can be estimated as fully ensured ones, as long as the rental costs are low and the local government has promised to cover a part of the household management costs. It is noteworthy that in the beginning of 2015 the organization signed an agreement on Function delegation with the local government including the obligation on the part of the local government to ensure a partial coverage of the organization`s household management costs thus considerably diminishing its financial burdain. The display of the Project products, the development and maintainance of the exposition have been included into the organization`s plans for working out further project applications. In case they do not get approved, the maintainance of the Project products will be secured by applying the organization`s voluntary work system and the income from its business activities. The set up plantations in the partner organizations are being kept up in the the following way: in the village of Liepas – by NGO „Pupols” and Zasa self-government; in the village of Mezgale – by Leimani self government; in the village of Dignaja – by NGO „Dzivibas koks”. The model plantation in the management Office of Riga North District is taken care of by NGO „Aizvejs”. The results achieved in the field of human resources within Activity 2 and 4 are maintained by NGO „Udenszimes” („Watermarks”) in cooperation with the Social department of Jekabpils novads self-government and Rubeni Primary school. The Social department is responsible for supporting activities for the families to help in maintainaning their set up gardens. The NGO ensures the sustainability of the „Harvest session”. In cooperation with the primary school, the NGO organizes out-of-class activities with the children with an aim to practise getting financal support. The Project target group – socially disadvantaged people – are of vital importance in maintaining the Project results. It is they who take an active part in the system of voluntary work ensuring their involved in the process of maintaining and developing the Project results. This factor can be noted as the most essential benifit of the target group – the people have acquired new skills and knowledge, new employment chances, new ways of taking part in the development of the local area and its economical growth.
Supported by the EEA Grants. Case number: LV03. Programme name: „NGO fund”
Project number: 2012.EEZ/PP/1/MEC/027Project approval date: 11.09.2013.
Project contract date: 07.11.2013.
Status of the project: Pabeigts
Name of Project Promoter: NGO „Watermarks”
Type of Project Promoter: Association/Foundation
Name of project partner: Biedrība " Rīgas Invalīdu sporta klubs „Optimists”",Biedrība "Latvijas Dārzu biedrība"
Place(s) of implementation: Rīga,Jēkabpils novads
Project implementation region(s): Rīga,Zemgales region
Project duration, months: 18
Total eligible costs (Programme co-financing and Project Promoter’s contribution): 42681.06 EUR / 29 996.42 LVL;
Programme co-financing (EEA Grants – 95%): 36491.81 EUR / 25 646.59 LVL;
Programme co-financing (State budget – 5%): 1920.62 EUR / 1 349.82 LVL;
Project Promoter’s contribution: 4268.63 EUR / 3 000.01 LVL;
Legal address: "Mežmāras", Rubenes pagasts, Jēkabpils novads, LV-5229
Phone No.: 29548967; 26167960
Fax: -
E-mail:
Website: www.udenszimes.lv
Link to a website of the EEA Grants Managing Authority in Latvia: www.eeagrants.lv
Link to a website of the EEA Grants Financial Mechanism Office: www.eeagrants.org