United States European Command Donation of Household Appliances and Beds to Provide Support to Ukrainian Refugees in Latvia

On Tuesday, May 2, U.S. Ambassador Christopher Robinson presented the Latvian government with 24 refrigerators and 24 washers. State Fire and Rescue Service Chief Colonel Mārtiņš Baltmanis and eight Latvian municipalities accepted the donation.

The U.S. Embassy Office of Defense Cooperation worked with the Latvian State Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS), the lead governmental agency for coordinating support to Ukrainian refugees in Latvia, to implement the project. The appliances will be distributed among eight Latvian municipalities – Southern Kurzeme, Krāslava, Valka, Liepāja, Līvāni, Jēkabpils, Varakļāni, and Ventspils, - and will be used for temporary housing for Ukrainian refugees in Latvia.

In addition to this donation, end of March this year, the U.S. Embassy Office of Defense Cooperation delivered to SFRS 2,400 cots, pillows, and blankets that will be used for emergency situations, including temporary housing for Ukrainian refugees.

The donations totaling $237,000 were funded by the U.S. European Command Civic Engagement program and are the second and third project implement by the U.S. Embassy Office of Defense Cooperation to support Ukrainian refugees in Latvia. September last year, the U.S. Embassy donated 176 beds and mattresses to Latvian municipalities to be used in temporary housing for Ukrainian refugees.

Since 2007, the U.S. Embassy Office of Defense Cooperation has implemented over 50 individual Civic Engagement projects with total value of $12 million working closely with Latvian governmental organizations such as SFRS, State Emergency Medical Service, regional municipalities, schools, senior citizen homes, and orphanages.