Successful Completion: New Therapeutic Spaces Completed at Valmiera SOS Children’s Village

Two new therapy rooms have been installed at the Valmiera SOS Children’s Village in Latvia. The project was implemented with the support of the Fenix Charity Fund, a growing charitable organization working across the Baltic States, in collaboration with the community program “Ieklausies – Sadzirdi – Atbalsti”, organized by Eņģeļi Tev Blakus, a Latvian charity association that promotes support for welfare centers and foster families. The total cost of the project was €6,217, fully funded through private donations.

The new spaces include a Music Therapy Room and a Nature Aesthetics Studio; both are designed to support the emotional and developmental needs of children living in family-based care. The Music Therapy Room offers a structured yet creative environment where children can express themselves, develop communication skills, and process emotions – all through sounds and rhythms. The Nature Aesthetics Studio encourages children’s sensory engagement, imagination, and emotional regulation by connecting them with natural and calming materials and surroundings.

Benefits of the Music Therapy Studio
“By attending sessions in the Music Therapy Studio, clients’ social problems are addressed, and their psycho-emotional and physical health is improved. The sessions are led by a music therapist, a healthcare professional with a Master’s degree in health care and appropriate competencies in both music and the provision of psychological support. Music therapy can benefit patients of all ages with mental health disorders, psychosomatic illnesses, vegetative dystonia, oncological, neurological, and neurodegenerative diseases, as well as patients suffering from chronic pain. Thanks to music’s ability to activate emotional and memory processes, it can also be used for patients in acute conditions, such as after strokes or surgeries.

Music therapy can also be helpful for practically healthy individuals experiencing burnout, emotional difficulties, low mood, nervousness, and anxiety. It fosters the development of self-regulation and relaxation skills. Through engaging in creative and spontaneous activities and learning new skills, individuals can experience both psycho-emotional and physical renewal. Music therapy is also suitable for personal development – to cultivate leadership or cooperation skills, a sense of independence, imagination, structured thinking, multitasking abilities, organization, or to emotionally process a particular experience,” explains “Ieklausies – Sadzirdi – Atbalsti” program’s organizers.

Benefits of the Nature Aesthetics Room
“Nature Aesthetics is a system that enhances a person’s emotional and cognitive experience, based on the activation of nature’s aesthetic values and a specific methodology. In the Nature Aesthetics Studio, children can explore and learn about all aspects of nature aesthetics – natural movement and shape games, colorful sand games, colored grain activities, and warm sand sessions. The Nature Aesthetics sessions promote and provide a wide range of experiences.

1. Social interaction experience: Sessions are held individually, in pairs, or in small or larger groups, enabling participants to explore personal boundaries, desires, and capabilities, as well as to build harmonious relationships within the group. The creative process fosters an open and relaxed atmosphere that also encourages children with functional impairments to engage.
2. Sensory experience: Purposefully organized interaction with every natural element, force, and material directed at the child’s body or its parts provides stimuli that positively affect physiological processes, improve sensory perception in a peaceful environment, and broaden perceptual range. This is especially valuable for children with functional impairments or learning and concentration difficulties.
3. Emotional experience: The feelings gained through these interactions positively contribute to emotional balance, help children recognize and manage their emotions appropriately, reduce physical and mental tension, improve mood, and foster a positive attitude toward themselves and others.
4. Creative experience: The sessions offer a wide range of creative activities, develop imagination and associative thinking, and stimulate cognitive processes.
5. Self-exploration experience: The variety and complexity of sessions can be adapted to the goals, age, and readiness of participants, ensuring positive outcomes. The creative atmosphere allows children to explore their limits, reflect on themselves, develop a sense of cyclicity, and become aware of their own time and space,” explains “Ieklausies – Sadzirdi – Atbalsti” program’s organizers.

“Approximately 85 children and 13 adults use the services of the Valmiera SOS Family Support Center each month (the adults are staff members from the Valmiera SOS Children’s Village who work with the children on a daily basis). Currently, one child is attending music therapy sessions, but it should be noted that the room has only just been set up. It is planned that nature aesthetics studio sessions will initially be attended by eight children per month, and in the future, if there is demand, we will offer the sessions to more children,” shares “Ieklausies – Sadzirdi – Atbalsti” program’s organizers.

The project in Valmiera, supported by the Fenix Charity Fund, is part of a broader initiative to improve conditions for children and families in SOS Children’s Villages across Latvia. As part of this wider effort, other organizations raised funds for the Islīce SOS Children’s Village to rebuild the porches of 12 homes to enhance safety for children and foster parents. In Riga, funds were raised and allocated to the renovation of two rooms at the SOS Family Support Center to create a more welcoming and functional space for families in crisis, including new soft furnishings, lighting, and wall finishes.

“We believe that supporting a child’s emotional and creative development is just as important as meeting their basic needs, especially long-term,” said Santa Laizane, Director of the Fenix Charity Fund. “These two rooms represent more than just physical spaces – these are safe environments where children can feel heard, seen, and supported in ways that will impact them for life. We extend our deepest gratitude to everyone who supported this project financially and physically. We are extremely proud to see the successful completion of this project”.

This initiative is another big step in the Fenix Charity Fund’s mission to support and empower vulnerable children and strengthen family-based care in the region. The organization continues to work with local partners and donors to bring practical, sustainable, high-impact solutions where they are needed most.