The annual fundraiser 'High Five!', whose basic principle is people donating money in return for having a record played on Latvian Radio 5, will run this year from December 13 to 19 and will again see disc jockeys live from a glass studio in the center of Old Town team up with charity website Ziedot.lv.
The public media charity marathon will focus on the healthcare gaps in Latvia this year, shedding light on the financial limbo faced by people with critical and acute health problems who need immediate help but whose healthcare costs are not covered by the state. These are cases where people are separated from further life by a specific sum of money that is out of their reach.
"You don't plan for illness, it comes unexpectedly. We can't choose the diagnosis either. We are all equally vulnerable to illness, but then the lottery begins - whether or not there will be state-funded medicines. People with the same diagnosis but different stages of the disease often find that one person is reimbursed for a medicine or other treatment, while another is not. Often the sums are so large that families are unable to pay, but the disease does not wait for the money to be raised. That is why we need a safety cushion or quick help in situations where the treatment needs to start immediately," said Rūta Dimanta, head of the charity platform "Ziedot.lv", adding that donations from the charity marathon will allow people with serious illnesses and expensive treatment to receive first aid.
Most often, this type of aid is needed for oncology patients.
As always, there will be plenty of additional events and initiatives as well as the core cash-for-music offering. This will be the eleventh year of the High Five charity marathon.
It is organized by Latvian Radio in close cooperation with Latvian Television, public media portal LSM.lv and long-standing donation partner, charity organization Ziedot.lv.
More information: dod.pieci.lv/.
