2022 EUROPEAN CITIZENS' PRIZE

In order to provide practical assistance to ill dying patients and their relatives, we, the Hospiss LV charity organization, founded the social enterprise “Hospiss Māja” in 2020 and, in cooperation with the Ministry of Welfare, launched the pilot project “Hospiss care at home for adults and support for their family members”, which ended in 2023. For more than a year, we were able to provide a state-funded, top-quality service to 10 terminally ill, dying people at a time and provide support to their family members. During the pilot project, 136 care contracts were concluded.

The aim of the project was to show that in practice it is possible to help terminally ill people with a short life expectancy, as well as provide practical and emotional support to their relatives, and that providing such a high-quality interdisciplinary service would cost the state less than care in unsuitable conditions – like in a hospital.

We received great reviews from our patients and their relatives, moreover, one of our patient's relatives, without our knowledge, nominated Hospice LV for the European Citizen Prize, where we won the honourable award and the opportunity to represent our heart's work in Brussels.

European Citizens' Prize is a Europe-wide award given by the European Parliament to individuals, groups or organizations for outstanding achievements and contributions to activities that strengthen the common values expressed in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union – human dignity, freedom, equality and solidarity.

VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR

Hospice care is widely known in the world with the experience that 60% - 70% of the work is done by volunteers and donors. Hospiss LV organizes special volunteer trainings for work with hospice and palliative care patients. The lecturers are industry specialists – palliative care doctors, nurses, psychotherapists, chaplains, social workers and other specialists, who by sharing their knowledge prepare people for volunteer work - being with a terminally ill human. So far more than 200 volunteers have completed the training organized by Hospiss LV.

We are proud that the work of our volunteers has been repeatedly valued with the honourable “Volunteer of the Year” award:

2020 - Ilze Neimane - Nešpora

During the most severe stage of the Covid pandemic, she held promotions like “The Festive table” and “A Table for Our Own”, attracting many volunteers who prepared more than 116,000 warm and delicious meals for doctors, palliative care patients and employees with the help of restaurants, food manufacturers and suppliers.

2021 - Imans Škērstens

In the spring of 2022 he initiated and together with Hospiss LV realized the campaign "A Breathing Space for Our Own". Imants is a volunteer who thought about those around him and provided support to doctors exhausted by the Covid-19 pandemic, even in a not-so-easy moment in his own life. Hot lunches were provided for medics, as well as free rest in guest houses for 104 medics and 101 their accompanying persons.

2022 - Lienīte Ansone

A Hospice LV volunteer since 2019, Lienīte visits patients at “Riga’s 1st Hospital”, coordinates the volunteer team and maintains the communication with the hospital staff. Every Wednesday, Lienīte and other volunteers visit the hospital to talk to the patients, listen to their needs and go for walks together with them. After listening to the terminally ill patients, Lienīte also encourages them to participate in the Hospiss LV charity project "Wishes Come True", in which, with the help of donors, the dreams of these patients are realized. With her reliable, selfless, regular work and big heart, Lienīte brings a sense of celebration to the everyday life of palliative patients.

PRIDE OF LATVIA 2020

Ilze Neimane - Nešpora received a honourable mention of “Pride of Latvia” for the charity project “A Table for Our Own” that was created and coordinated during the worst phase of the Covid pandemic

Wave of Charity "Table for our own" - HOSPISS LV

In the magazine "Pastaiga" "The Top Women's Achievements 2024 also highlights four representatives of the charity organisation Hospiss LV: founders Ilze Neimane - Nešpora and Ilze Zosule, project manager Inita Sila and Vidzeme Hospital coordinator Gunita Bārda.

This year's list of the most influential, creative and outstanding women in Latvia was compiled by 18 experts selected by the editors - representatives of various fields whose opinion is highly valued in society. They named their favourites in 12 sectors and industry groups, including "Non-Governmental Organisations. Charity. Activists." In this sector, the most widely represented charity was HospissLV, with six experts casting their votes. "We would definitely live better in Latvia if everyone who has achieved something in life was ready to invest in society. By creating Hospiss LV, both Ilses have created new ways of practical help and changed the way we in Latvia look at people who are terminally ill.

An absolutely selfless, kind-hearted, and immensely valuable movement, for which we owe them deep gratitude."