🇱🇻 Latvia Mission Trip
Thursday, June 13, 2024 to Friday, June 21, 2024
9 day / 8 night mission trip to Latvia
Land Cost: $2,300 to $2,500
Estimated Airfare: $2,000
Estimated Total: $4,500
The range of costs are subject to change based on airfare, number of trip participants, trip itinerary or length of trip.
Trip Code: LA24-06FBMF
About this Trip
Join Orphan Outreach in serving children in Latvia. This is an 9 Day/8 Night mission trip to Latvia. This team will visit Liepaja and Jelgava.
About Latvia
There are more than 6,000 children who are orphaned in Latvia. Less than 700 are in orphanages. Most children are in either guardianship or foster care. But the need for holistic care and support is great, especially when those children age out of the system. 44% of all children in Latvia face extreme poverty. Alcoholism and drug abuse are prevalent in families struggling to survive. Discrimination against children is common. Children of minorities, children with special needs, and those living in rural areas often lack access to both quality education and medicine. 10% of all children in Latvia have experienced sexual abuse by the age of 15, and children are particularly vulnerable to both sexual exploitation and trafficking.
Orphan Outreach responds to the needs of orphaned and vulnerable children in Latvia in three ways. We provide safe, nurturing support for young adults as they leave traditional residential care and navigate the transition to independent living. We invest in community outreach programs that strengthen and preserve families in high-risk, impoverished areas. These programs provide nutritious meals, quality counseling, mentorship and training. We offer tangible hope for vulnerable children and families through mentorship, continuing education, job and life skills training, and wraparound care.
Team Leader
Amy Norton – Amy is Co-Founder and Sr. Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at Orphan Outreach. She has a Doctor of Jurisprudence from Texas Tech University and while practicing law, worked as a Guardian Ad Litem for children in Dallas County. She also worked as a court appointed special advocate for abused children. She has managed and developed domestic and international orphaned and vulnerable children, adoption and ministry programs for 30 years. Amy served 13 years at Buckner International. She was Director at Buckner, leading the development of Buckner's international programs including international adoption, missions, and orphan care ministry. She and her husband were the first international adoption for Buckner, beginning their policy of special needs children adoption. She developed and managed the Shoes for Orphan Souls program for Buckner, which has grown to provide millions of children around the world with a new pair of shoes. She was a founding board member of the Christian Alliance for Orphans and has continued to be actively involved. She began the missions. program for Buckner and led the first mission team in 1996. She has lead many mission teams over the past 27 years and traveled extensively overseeing the in country staff and programs for Buckner and Orphan Outreach. She and her husband have an adopted son from Russia and two biological children.
Accommodations
The team will stay in hotels close to the ministry sites. The land cost is based on double-occupancy rooms with bathrooms. If you would like to have your own room, there will be an additional cost. Please email missions@orphanoutreach.org if you have any questions.
Trip Itinerary
This itinerary is subject to change
Thursday, June 13, 2024 to Friday, June 14, 2024 – Depart USA; Arrive Riga, Latvia
Saturday, June 15, 2024 to Monday, June 17, 2024 – Travel to Liepaja, serve at Family Center
Tuesday, June 18, 2024 to Wednesday, June 19, 2024 – Travel to Jelgava; Serve with Graduates
Thursday, June 20, 2024 – Sightseeing, shopping in Riga; Farewell Dinner
Friday, June 21, 2024 – Depart Riga, Latvia; Arrive USA
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*Orphan Outreach Mission Trip Baggage Policy
All mission trip participants are responsible for the cost of their checked baggage. For the most up to date baggage allowances and fees, please check with each airline you are traveling on.
Plan on bringing all luggage home with you even if a bag is empty. Please ask before leaving behind a bag in your country of service.
Occasionally we may ask trip participants to carry humanitarian aid and items needed for ministry in country. This would be on a volunteer basis and any cost for the bag would still be your responsibility.