It is during the holidays that those who live alone tend to experience sadness. Like Mrs Modra.
"Because I have no one. All my loved ones are in the cemetery. I am left with a cat. My kitty is 18 years old. That's how we talk to each other. Only sometimes I don't understand what he says to me," says the pensioner.
Loneliness is not a conscious choice. Sometimes all you want is someone to talk to. That's why this project was born five years ago.
The telephone 26564564 is available on weekdays and weekends. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, you can use Skype at parunasim sonido to talk in sign language. To raise awareness of the project, a well-known public figure - a singer, a journalist, or a minister - will be on the other end of the receiver all week.
"For the festive season, with the national holidays, Christmas, the loneliness gets worse. They don't have visitors coming, they want to celebrate. But there is no one to celebrate with. And the conversation is the only light moment. That's why there is this call center. You can call to talk," explains social entrepreneur Inga Muižniece.
This week, singers Intars Busulis, Marija Naumova, Samanta Tīna, the Minister of Health, and others might pick up the phone. Well-known people in society have been recruited to promote the helpline.
The helpline is also available at all other times.
"It's very emotional to listen to them wanting to talk. Even people who are known in public sometimes feel lonely. And those unfamiliar ears can be helpful. Because strangers' ears hear more. And talking can be more valuable than material help," says former politician Linda Mūrniece.
