Active volunteers in Telšiai county did a lot of good work
The Maltesers ran “54+” project for communities from 2018 until 2020. The name of the project comes from the fact that people over the age of 55 till the retirement age participated in it. Together with the people of this age group in the region the Malteser volunteer coordinators discussed how together they can help those who need help the most in the area. With this project, we aimed to create a space where we all together can meet, consult and do something good for the community or a nearby stranger. Dozens of locals responded to this call for help and devoted their time to good deeds.
In addition to helping others, volunteers improved themselves as well. The project participants were provided with modern informal trainings on how to develop entrepreneurship, resolve conflicts, plan their time, and cooperate with others. Volunteers also attended computer literacy courses. Learning and understanding something new is always fun and rewarding, no matter the age.
The project was funded by the European Union Social Fund.
Activities took place in Telšiai, Plungė, Rietavas and Viekšniai. Here, project volunteers visited and helped lonely seniors in their or nursing homes, helped organize children’s activities in day care centers or orphanages, contributed to city events and campaigns, and organized and did various other activities that contributed to the well-being of others.
A volunteer from Plungė is happy to have the opportunity to experience volunteering up close, to become more actively involved in social life, which makes it possible to understand how difficult the elderly have. The volunteer was happy to share her experiences of participating in modern trainings and social campaigns such as “Malteser’s Soup”. According to her, volunteering is a great way to meet new people, feel freer and gain more strength for your confidence.
