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Christmas Flight
Life in Latvia was tough during the 1939-45 war. When the Russians occupied the land in 1944 they brought with them a 'death' list of 300 politicians, doctors, dentists, teachers, and other intellectuals. One of these was the Zarins family; father a doctor, mother active in politics and five children, the youngest Tamara, aged 4. Seven tortuous years, various camps, and countless dangers later, the family finally found a haven in Norway. Finally Tamara experienced peace and safety, first in Volda a small fjord village in Western Norway and later in Oslo where she attended the University. Tamara's life as a teenager was typically Norwegian but with the family they talked about Latvia, and Bene, the small town they had left behind. When the time came to choose a career the young woman with the exotic name and international background found a natural profession with SAS, the airline of Scandinavia. Her duties as stewardess took her first throughout Norway, then Europe, and then wherever in the world the airline routes reached. Her homeland, still under the heel of the Soviets, was not part of this network but Tamara continued to remember her roots in Latvia. In 1990 Tamara Zarins Egelund, now married to a Norwegian businessman, decided to do something for the people of her home town. The winds of change were coursing throughout Eastern Europe and the Baltic States were in the process of being freed from Soviet control. But the people were despondent, the governments, unstable, and the economies destroyed. Tamara decided that Christmas would be the right time to do something to help alleviate the suffering and stiffen the resolve of the newly independent State of Latvia. Simply giving money was not sufficient, and although Christmas meant gifts, simply giving gifts was not enough either. Her travels had taught Tamara the importance of direct contact with people and her experiences as a young girl in Norway taught her the importance of nourishing the minds of children. So the big plan emerged: Get an aircraft, fill it with gifts, invite along professional people who could aid both business, administration and government and, on the return flight, bring a group of children and adults to experience a week of freedom, happiness and professional contact in hectic, pre-Christmas Norway. From the start, SAS supported the project. Pilots and crews donated their time, SAS employees collected money, found sponsors and provided homes for the Latvian guests. The national oil-company, Statoil and Esso provided the fuel. The first promotion, in December 1992 was so successful that two trucks drove to Latvia with trailers full of supplies and gifts. A committee of 10-20 dedicated people co-ordinate the plan but as with most successful projects, local communities, schools, and service clubs soon became involved. The need for assistance in Latvia has not diminished during recent years and the focus continues to be on school children, the elderly and large families. In 2001, by the beginning of December, almost 1000 cartons full of gifts were stored in a hangar at the now unused Fornebu Airport outside Oslo. Those invited to accompany the flight had also been 'invited' to do the packing, loading and unloading at Fornebu, Gardermoen and Riga. In Riga they were equipped with paper overalls, work gloves and red Santa Claus bonnets to load the cartons onto trucks for the final stage of the journey to Bene, about 90 kilometers south-west of Riga. After visiting a home for the elderly and distributing the packages, the long day ends at Bene Secodary School. Here, in a building that has been partly re-built by donations from the project, there's a concert, a meal and the handing out of gifts to the children. Gifts, a meal and a concert are only the annual presentation, so to speak, of the 'Christmas Flight' Money collected for the project continues to work for the community throughout the year. The two school busses and drivers and school lunches for children who otherwise would probably not get a warm meal each day are two examples. Then there are the technical gifts, computers, copying machines and sanitary equipment to schools. An important aspect of the 'Christmas Flight' is the impact on the people themselves. Each year the children who accompany the return flight are filled with excitement by the stories of those who traveled in previous years. Their host families treat them to Christmas fare and there's a full program of activities, from visiting farms and eating at McDonalds to an afternoon at the Norwegian equivalent of 'Wet 'n Wild'. This year, however, the 10th Anniversary, a visit to the Royal Palace and a meeting with the Royal Family was the highlight, and an indication of the high regard accorded this project. Doctors, teachers, chemists, carpenters, and many other professionals have also benefited by being invited to Norway Each year there are new initiatives, new ideas and new gifts. Perhaps the most significant gift this year was a Viking Peace Ship from the Embla club. The 13 oared copy of a Viking Ship was filled with goods worth kr.50,000 and a kr.25,000 check designated for a school in Bene. The Embla Club, a humanitarian organization with strong connections to Latvia, is located in Volda, the fjord village that helped foster a person who said that yes, an individual can make a difference. Geoffrey K.Ward
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Torture, terror, and disasters are daily diet for uncounted millions. Millions more, innocent men, women and children, but mostly women and children, wander homeless, helpless, and hungry. The trials and tribulations of the poor and oppressed seem endless. If the major powers in the world cannot alleviate these misfortunes, can one individual make a difference? Ten years ago, Tamara Zarins Egelund asked herself this question. She had good reason for doing so..  |
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